Easy Company's Pilot named Adaline
by redheadclover
Summary: Adaline only joined the war to get money in her back pocket and help get herself and her child by in life, yet she never saw George Luz coming to bring happiness back into her life. As a member of WASP, she's recruited to be both a jeep driver and a pilot in the war, mainly helping Easy Company through their journey in Europe, and she falls hard for their comedian. (Luz X OC)
1. Chapter 1

If there was ever one thing I would never regret, it was the fact that I was a mother.

But the rest really was up for grabs.

I was only 23 when I joined the army, but it mostly wasn't for me really. I had to find a way to pay for my daughter and give her a perfect life, or close to one that I could afford. But growing up in a small town with hardly any kind of opportunity for me was not really an easy task for a single mother. I never wanted to do something like this, but like many other things, I was thinking of others before myself. I had to since there was no real time for me to find out what I wanted once I decided to join the war effort as a pilot.

A female pilot, it was an eye raiser for sure in my town.

I had a typical upbringing in a small town along the east coast, a loving father and mother, and an older brother named Aaron. We were a typical Irish Catholic family, working class with our nose to the grind and our hands constantly moving. There wasn't really wrong with my family when I was growing up under the constantly changing trees of Massachusetts. We lived in a smaller town outside of Boston, Quincy to be exact, though from time to time we found find out way in Boston for vacation or anything else we would want to do when Quincy was far too quiet or boring. None the less, I loved living there.

My father, Brennan, worked with planes and was a mechanic, he was even a pilot in World War One and barely survived the war because of his knack of flying around and getting out of sticky situations. After he left the war, he found my mother Eloise and married her within months after meeting her, though the both of them kept their marriage together and showed to regret of getting married within months of knowing each other. I always looked at them as a good example of what love would look like: laughter around the dinner table, arguments ending in hugs and whispered apologies upon each other's lips, and constant kisses on cheeks and foreheads when they had the chance. They had Aaron a year after they were married, settled in the town I grew up in and I came three years later.

Even when I was young, my father would teach my brother and I all about the mechanics of cars and planes. Well, he taught my brother first and I tagged along for the ride since it looked interesting enough. I really thought my mother was having a heart attack when she saw me sticking my head in the front of my father's car to look at the engine when I was only 7 years old, though my father pulled me out and saw oil on my face and I was grinning from ear to ear. It was very safe to say I caught the mechanic bug when I was young and it never went away. We grew up in either the garage or in the woods when we would camp on the weekends together. That was another thing my father taught us: camping.

Aaron and I, once we both were teenagers, learned how to basically survive out in the wild. From the single skills of making a fire and using the stars to navigate. Our father grew up camping and he learned from his own grandfather, so it was a simple trade for us to learn. Once when I was still pretty young, he got to fly in a plane with me in his lap and my eyes going wide in admiration and in pure happiness. Once we took the sky, having me wear my own pair of goggles and seeing the world from above, it was all changing for me.

I wanted to fly.

My father had his own mechanic shop, having me sit on a stool and watch him work on engines and other cars for hours on end with interest. It made me really want to know how a car engine worked, how the mechanics were made and every part that was indicated to make the engine go. I was a strange child, very strange to want to tinker with model cars that my brother had instead of playing with dolls or combing my hair. My poor mother, she wanted a daughter and she got herself a grease monkey instead.

As I got older, I started wearing dresses and having some girlfriends here and there. I was average in school although on the weekends or late in the night, I would go into the garage and work with my father in the car and get more lessons from him. As long as I kept my nose in the books, he would teach me all he knew about cars and planes since that was what I wanted. Most of the time, I was far too shy to be around the regular girls who would flirt with the boys and get their attention. I preferred my own alone time really since I was too shy for anyone to deal with. Aaron was kind enough to hang around me as my big brother and a good friend. I wasn't that I had no friends, I had a certain few really. But I had no big group of friends to flock to all the time, I just stayed in the garage and helped out with my father when I could. Growing up as a teenager in a garage was never really the ideal thing for me to do, or for anyone really. But I didn't mind getting my hands dirty and some grease in my honey blond hair and along my freckles cheeks under my green eyes. My hands were calloused and rough, my arms were developing muscles for carrying tools and parts in crates, and there was nothing that was really going to change that.

Up until I met Adam.

He wandered into my life when he brought his car into the garage, having engine trouble and making me almost miss a step. He was beyond handsome, a smile that would make me melt into a puddle if I could and war eyes that had me grin at him as he was telling me what was going on with his car. He had cool brown hair, pushed to the side in such a manner that was popular and slick, along with cool blue eyes that were both bright and enticing to look at. Once we locked eyes, I knew for a fact that I was long gone from him. After fixing his car, in which he watched me in long adoration, we ended up talking for a good long awhile when I got to know him intensely.

He was from Boston and was traveling through town to meet some friends for the weekend. The only son of two loving parents and had a knack for being adventurous, he caught my attention from the moment he spoke up softly and asked for my name. We started our conversation with how I liked and worked with cars and his love for cars too. For a while my mother thought my love for cars was going to hinder me from meeting and man and marrying him, but now it was the other way around from one chance encounter with a stranger who took interest in me from the moment I shook his hand with my greasy one. We ended up talking for hours and right when he was about to leave, he asked for my telephone number. That was a first.

And ended up being the last, since we got married a year later right after we both graduated from high school.

We talked for two years. was engaged for one year and then married, though it was still considered very uneasy since we were young and married. He worked for his own father with their industry company in Boston, and they made enough for the both of us to live off of though I still worked for my dad. After we were married, I moved in with Adam to Boston and we had our own place in one of the apartments in the busier parts of the city. I loved Adam with all my heart, and he loved me as well. We both knew each other quite well to be a married couple: He knew how I took my coffee and what books I loved to read. I knew how he loved to listen to music and even how he loved to dance when he would take me dancing.

But he still loved me when I was working on engines and car parts, he even thought it was cute when I was knitting my eyebrows together and hunched over a carburetor that was propped on our coffee table. We were an odd couple, our apartment filled with car parts and mechanical books along with coffee mugs and records of dancing tunes. But it fitted us so nicely since we both were so connected with one another it seemed perfect.

And it got even better when I found out that I was pregnant.

Adam was thrilled to hear that he was going to be a father, swinging me in his arms and never once wanting to put me down when I told him the news. All of our friends and family were beyond happy to hear that we were going to be parents. Things were changing in my life, learning how to be a wife and how to be a mother when I was getting closer to my due date. It still baffled me that this was my life, being happily married and soon thing a child. I didn't think I would be doing something like this two years prior, and it all changed because of Adam and he looked at me. It was the look of pure love and devotion, something I can honestly say I would have never thought I would get from any guys because of how shy I was and how dirty I looked. I wasn't ugly, nor I was beautiful in my opinion. I didn't know if it was because I had issues with my own self-image, but Adam completely made me feel beyond worth it.

I had a beautiful daughter named Beth, and she was beyond perfect. I had never felt more love flowing me when they placed her in my arms than ever before. She had her father's eyes, but her hair was light and having some honey blond and red hair she sported thanks to her Irish roots. She was radiant, and we both loved her to pieces. Everything to me was falling into place for me, and I thought things could not be sweeter or more divine.

But it crashed around me when Adam died, right after my 21st birthday.

He was killed in a car crash, having me be woken up in the middle of the night while I was asleep and Beth was in the bassinet next to me. I knew Adam was working late with his father at their office, and when I opened the door, I was thinking it was Adam since he once again lost his house keys. But I was wrong, seeing the officers there and the solemn looks on their faces. Once they told me the news, the car he was in the slammed into a building from a T-Bone and he was killed instantly, I fell to my knees and sobbed into my hands.

My world was shattered because my light was gone.

How was I going to pick up the pieces of my life when my husband was gone and I was now a widow? Not only a widow, but a widow with an infant child who was only 4-month-old when she lost her father. I had no sense of happiness left in me, even after all of the phone calls from my family with condolences and apologies for my loss. It was still raw for me to get through the days and night without Adam next to me, without me hearing his voice and without him holding me close in our bed. Everything inside of me felt empty and hollow, but Beth was still the only silver lining I had. I had to carry on for her since I was not going to give up on my daughter. She was the one who was bringing me a smile on my face, when I heard her laugh for the first time and or when she started to move her body around on her own. She was slowing bringing me back to the land of the living.

Aaron, my wonderful older brother, had me move in with him since he was doing so well with his job as a professor at the local university in English. He was doing good on his own, having a small place to himself and I was afraid that I was cramping his style and making me look less appeal to girls that were flocking to him. But he knew that I didn't want to go back and live with my parents though I was still young enough to do so really. He was fine with me living with him, and he was a big help with me raising Beth.

When Beth just turned two years old, I had to think of a way to make sure the both of us were going to be finically secure since I doubted Aaron would want me to live with him for the rest of his life along with his niece. My mother and father were already scraping by as it was, and I had some good enough experience with mechanical works, but no one was going to hire me since I was a single mother. It was going to be far too much for me to handle, yet I tried to find a way for the sake of Beth who was sporting long red and blond hair and her father's eyes, the constant reminder that was both soothing and painful.

During this time though the army was trying to recruit men into enlisting, yet my brother was beyond sick when he went into the physical and he missed being sent off to war. It was a blessing for him, yet I was still in a slump with my own work life or lack thereof. However, one afternoon when I was playing with Beth in our living room, Aaron busted into the house with a paper in his hand and a grin on his face.

He said he found a way for me, and it was unexpected.

The army was looking for mechanics for both cars and planes really, anyone who knew how to operate either one or how to work on either one. Hell, there was talk about women being enlisted to help make planes and send them off to war for the men. I was doubting it since it sounded a bit tedious though tempting since I knew how to do it. But it was when Aaron mentioned the money that I would be making, good money, that it made me take the paper from his hand and reevaluate my options. They would pay me to work on a plane or on cars and get them working right, and I knew about planes and cars better than most people ever did.

I went for it.

The nearest place that they were hiring people for mechanic work was in Georgia at Camp Toccoa, where they were training new soldiers for the war. I would have to go down there for a month or so and they were going to see if I was suitable for the job, which I had to take reluctantly and with hesitance since this was the first time I would be separated from Beth. But she was in good hands with Aaron and my folks who volunteered to watch her a couple of days when Aaron was working. So I took the train to Camp Toccoa and I stayed there as a new mechanic for the jeeps and planes that would be used in the war.

It was both easy and hard at the same time. Easy, since I knew my way around a car and I knew how to drive ti pretty darn well, and hard because it was tougher equipment, war equipment. But I got by, even impressing some of the men there with how I knew how to get an engine and have it stop turning over from time to time. If it was getting money in my pocket, then it as fine enough for me since it was going straight to Beth.

One of those days caught be off guard, when I was seen by one of the head mechanics tinkering with one of the planes that they were going to use in the war. I was just poking my head around, peering into the control when he joked with an questioned look if I could fly. I told him I could with a bit of confidence though I was still shy. He thought I was bluffing, saying I couldn't get the plane to turn on. Well, I did shut him up good when I got the engine on, rolling the plane around a bit and even maneuvered my away around the runway without breaking a sweat. He was floored, which brought me to another predicament:

They wanted to enlist me as a pilot for the Air Force, and then work as a mechanic, only at first.

I was stunned to hear that since was the only female there working on the cars and planes as a training sequence. But he explained that I was one of the best that came though, already earning at least 50 dollars because of my services and I could earn more as a mechanic in the army, not to mention a driver for supply runs. Did He want me for both? Such a silly job for a woman to have, not to mention a single mother. I went home to see my daughter, seeing her giggle and cuddle me close as I walked into the door and Aaron hugged me after. I explained to him what happened and how I was recruited to be in the Air Force, in which Aaron told me to call our parents. My own mother, when I told her on the phone, immediately told me "No! That is far too dangerous, and you have a daughter to think about!"

That's right, my daughter.

All I could think about was just being there for her, wanting to give her a better future than the one I was thinking of, which was bleak and poor. I had no other job to fall back on and since I was a widow, it was going to make finding a job harder and more painful. I didn't want to rely on my parents who were wanting to give me money, but they were barely getting by as it was. No, I had to think of a way to get my daughter a good life and for me to try and find a way to get past the pain of heartbreak and loss. After talking about it with my parents and my brother, I had my choice.

I was enlisting in the Air Force as a member of Women's Airfare Service Pilots.

* * *

**1942**

**Avenger Field**

**Sweetwater, Texas**

"Adaline, hey Adaline!" I was sitting in one of the planes that we were testing riding out at Sweetwater Texas when I was called on by one of our head mechanics. I was trying to get the configuration right with the cockpit and the dial ready for usage later that day when we were going to ride it out. It was a nice plane: A-36 Apache. I was particularly proud of this plane since I worked the most on it, long hours from dawn to dust. Since I came to Texas and became part of the Women's Airfare Service Pilots program that was held there, I was training in how to fly planes for both combats and dropping off equipment for the troops. There was myself and about several hundred other women who were training for the same thing: to fight in the war or at least have some kind of aid in there that did not require sitting behind a desk and looking pretty.

No, we wanted to fly and we wanted to fly fast.

It's been now 5 months since I was back at home in Massachusettes, and saying goodbye to Beth was the hardest thing to do. But the pay for me for being a female pilot in the army was beyond amazing and it's what I needed. I had to hold her close for a good solid few minutes, hearing her plead into my hair for me not to leave her. It was like I was being stabbed for seeing her in my brother's arms as I drove off in the cab to the train station. By then, she had long red-blond hair that came to her mid back and her bright blue eyes that were piercing with tears and heartache. She was staying with my brother then, and I trusted him enough since we both we close as brother and sister and as friends.

"What is it?" I asked as I poked my head out from the cockpit over to where I was being summoned. Our head mechanic in the area, Jonesy, was coming over my way with his mechanic uniform on. After getting my wings with WASP, I also was learning how to work with the military jeeps and other vehicles that were going to be needed, also learning how to fix them since I had plenty of background in the area. I was halfway through my training there in Texas since they needed more mechanics in the field than anything because of the fear of jeeps breaking on them in the war.

"You're needed over at Headquarters." He replied to me, a middle-aged man who was edgier with a personality that like an annoyed father than anything. But he was kind to me compared to the other mechanics, being that I was the lucky few that hardly needed guidance or someone to hold their hand through the training sessions. I hopped out of the open window of the plane, jumping into the wing and then onto the floor. That day I was wearing my training uniform, BDU pants and boots along with my pilot jacket and my hair back in a messy ponytail.

I had some muscles behind me now from the flight training, they were having us so push ups and runs to keep up our adrenaline and bodies to the top physical levels. I still had muscles behind me from working in the mechanic shop with my dad as a teenager.

"Why do they wanna see me?" I asked him in curiosity since I would never really raise my voice to anyone to be fair. I wasn't really that bold compared to the others in the pilot line up. Hell, some of the others in the WASP program were great girls to work with, but I was the shyest one in the bunch, However, since I was the shyest, I was still one the best pilots in the Airfield, at least that's what the officers would tell me.

"No idea, but I would hope that they would bring you back here soon sine we still need you to work on our latest jeep that broke down last night." He replied to me, having me just smile at him as I grabbed the towel that was attached to my uniform now to clean my hands. I was his go to when it came to fixing vehicles quickly, he didn't trust the others that were under him. I just walked away from him now, trying to fix my hair in the process with my head reeling from the countless questions that were flooding my head. This was the second time I would be heading to headquarters, since the firs time was when I hopped off the train and came in to be sworn in and pushed in orientation, No one really goes to HQ unless they either get a promotion, transferring to another camp or they to in trouble.

I was really hoping that I wasn't getting the latter.

"O'Malley, Adaline," Our head of the airfield read from my file as I was standing in front of him at attention. He was in his forties though he had some kindness to him to those who were on his good side, he also was a mean tyrant to those who he hated. But to me, he as kind enough to have me think of him as some kind of adoptive Uncle.

"You one of our best pilots here in Avenger Field, not to mention a top-notch mechanic." He said to me in almost a statement as he looked up at me with his pilot jacket on and experience on his face and eyes. I could hear the airplanes going up and down in the air, taking off and landing outside the window of the office I was in, along with feeling the hot heat of the Texas summer day.

"Thank you, sir." I thanked him as he was pointing to my file now with one finger, having me see the gold band there and then watching him now.

"I was told by Jonesy himself that you're one of his best in his class, and I take that into consideration since he hardly ever says anything nice to about his students at all. It's been at least three years since I have heard something positive about a student come out of that man's mouth." He explained some more, and I couldn't help but grin at the notion of Jonesy being such a softy when it came to me and my work with him.

"I should take that as a compliment sir?" I asked him, seeing him smile and nod his head at me.

"Of course, pilot. But he's going to be rather disappointed with this new delivery of this letter that I have here in my hand." He said to me, pointing to the letter in front of him that was on the side of my file. I looked too, seeing that it was a letter that had the latter head from another head officer, maybe it was a colonel really. It was typed and looked rather pristine from where I was standing behind the desk. Why would Jonesy not like what was in the letter? Was this why I was sent here? A bit of a new change for me?

"What is it, sir?" I asked, seeing him grab it and holding it out for me to take.

"You read it, pilot." He replied to me, having me then move my hand from being behind me and gently grabbing the letter from him without any kind of force behind it. Once I had it there in my hand, I held it there with both hands and now I read it without saying a word or two. I was going through it, word for word and seeing that my name was being brought up a couple of times, along with my hard work to the army and my dedication and work ethic. It was still a bit confusion really, up until I knew why I was brought into the office.

"They want me to transfer to another training camp?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together in wonder as I looked back up at him.

"Effective immediately, to Camp Toccoa. Permanently," he explained to me as I was looking at him in both shock and confusion at the same time. I was only here for 5 months, almost 6 next week really since I was keeping the calendar in check for my own sake, and yet I thought I was only going to stay here for awhile. Hell, the thought of being a Pilot was already dawning on me, but then again they told me that I was a pilot, but I won't be doing any main flying within the war anytime soon. It was all about the WASP program not being able to be part of the main piloting program in the Air Force, none of us in WASP have yet to receive military ranking and we wondered when that day was going to come.

"They need plenty of mechanics there, both males and females with the vast amount of experience working on military vehicles, and you were the top of the list here in Avenger Field." He informed me now I was looking through the letter again, "You were recommended for training new mechanics for working on military vehicles. You know your way around a vehicle: How it works and how to fix it within minutes other than hours. They are in desperate need for someone like you."

"Only for my mechanical works, sir?" I asked him since clearly so far in the conversation I was needed only for my skills with mechanics and handling cars and engines.

"As of right now, since I heard nothing on the frontline of using you for the piloting yet, though they are going to take that into consideration since the British are going to be needing more help across the pond. But right now, all they need from you is your mechanic skills." He replied, having me nod in agreement. It was still a touchy subject for women to fly planes yet I couldn't imagine why since I loved flying planes just as much as I loved my daughter. If this is what they wanted, then this was what they were going to get from me really.

"When do I leave?"

* * *

**Camp Toccoa, Georgia**

The Georgia humidity and heat was something I never really missed, but here it was again as I walked across the field in Camp Toccoa, soldiers left and right of me training in their Companies and getting through the basic training. This time I was going to stay longer than a week or so. I never had to go through that, but then again I had my own training with the planes and being a pilot. That had to be on the back burner now though I was worn into service, and I was now one of the Head Mechanics there in the Camp for those who needed it.

The sun was high above, already having me be attacked with bugs on my exposed neck as I walked with my pilot jacket in my hand and my wings there on my jacket to be seen. As I walked by some of the new soldiers, they were stumbling a bit from seeing me walk with my bag in one hand and the other holding my pilot jacket in a clutched manner. I was wearing my pants, boots underneath, jacket in hand and a white dress shirt that was short sleeved. I packed my mechanic pilot coveralls and some spare clothes, along with some pictures of Beth that I snuck in and never left behind at all.

It was odd to be out of my element, surrounded by men who were looking at me like I was some kind of foreign alien. Even some of the officers that were there were giving me odd looks: seeing a WASP member walking through an army training base and it was making me feel kind of odd about it honestly. Once again, I was out of my element and I was never really great at being around a lot of people at one time. I bit my lip from the shyness that was coming through me, also having me feel the redness coming through me now on my cheeks and near my neck because of all of the sea of faces looking right at me.

God, I hated being shy. Which was why I didn't see myself running into another soldier.

"Oh shit! Sorry about that, I didn't—" The soldier explained to me in a rush as I was taken back a bit by the force. We locked eyes, looking right at each other as we are standing there on the training field. He was about my height though I was still a bit small compared to the other girls already, and he looked like he was in utter shock from what he was seeing at me. He sported brown hair, almost a bit floppy as it was pushed to the side, and a darker shade of brown. All in all, there was a sense of handsomeness there on his face, along with a look of innocence as he gulped and eyed me up and down.

"Holy Sweet Jesus." He gasped out, having me instantly look down from sheer embarrassment from how he sounded. The way he sounded, and how he said it as he took a small breath and smiled widely at me now, it made me think that he was surprised and shocked by what he was seeing, which was me. Being painfully shy, I never had the real self-confidence of any of the other WASP women, but that was my own doing. However, how he was looking at me, made me rethink that.

"I'm sorry for running into you." I said in almost a low tone, not even a whisper but not with confidence. He made me take a step back with how he was looking at me, but it was not in a threatening way. No, it was like it was with interest like he liked what he was seeing. He smiled, a row of perfectly white teeth was seen and his smile instantly made me feel butterflies in my stomach. I haven't felt that since Adam, and plenty of men smiled at me before. This time it felt different, more real and more of a thrill.

"It's fine, that was all me. I was actually not paying attention and all." He replied back to me smoothly like he has said this before. But he kept his smile on his face as I felt my palms sweating on my hold in the bag and the jacket that was against my side, "You don't look like you're from around here."

"I just came in today, actually." I answered him carefully, seeing him nod his head and the smile somehow growing bigger, showing me that he was enjoying what he was doing.

"Oh really? You're a pilot?" He asked in interest. I nodded my head since for some reason that smile he had was making me tongue tied and almost dizzy. No guys have looked at me like this in a long time, and before he could say anything else, someone was calling out to him and getting his attention, almost to his annoyance.

"Luz! What in the hell! We need to get before Sobel kicks our asses!" Someone was yelling at him, a bunch of soldiers standing off in the distance and they were looking in our direction. Great, this makes it worse for me really, and I looked over and away from them since they were looking at me to see who I was and why I was talking to their friend. The man waved them off and then looked back at me now.

"I should get going." I said to him, already walking away from him within a monument before he could answer back. That was awkward, and I made it even more awkward from how I was acting in front of him. Was I trying to look like an idiot in front of a bunch of men on my first day in Georgia? I did succeed that, and even though he didn't rush up to meet with me again, I heard him call out behind me as I kept walking a fast pace.

"It was nice to run into you! Made my whole day!" He said with such confidence that I couldn't help but grin and blush from how he spoke it. He sounded so confidence in himself, but a hint of cockiness behind it. This was a first for me since with Aaron he was both polite and shy at the same time with me. But with this man, whom I only talked to for a few seconds, was confident in every way of the word. It was an interesting first day.

All thanks to a man named Luz.


	2. Chapter 2

"You have to move it over to this end, see?" I asked the other mechanic that I was working with, seeing him poke his head my shoulder and watch as I was getting the engine worked on with the plane, the both of us propped over the nose and having our own tools in hand as the dusk was coming over the area of Camp Toccoa. It was my third day there, and I was already hard at work with the other mechanics that were there and struggling to get through the simple procedures of engine troubles and how they worked.

"Oh, I see it, changing it to that degree?" He asked me as he was perched over the engine now. He was the same age as me, but he looked more doe-eyed about the whole concept of being a mechanic. His name was Kendrick, since I had go with last names now that I was working with army men instead of Air Force men.

"Changing it to here, and getting the oil over on this side is better for the engine in the long run." I explained to him, pointing with my finger as I grabbed the towel that was in my back pocket. I was wearing my work coveralls that were already dusted with grease and oil after a long day of work and being around the planes that day.

"Thanks, O'Malley." He thanked me as we got the lid closed on the engine and I cracked my fingers from them being so stiff after being under some lids of planes and cars. He hopped off the wing and cracked his own neck as I joined him on the floor.

"Not a problem." I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. He grinned at me, the innocent grin was back on his face now as I could hear someone yelling off in the distance near the edge of the mountain. I knew of that mountain, from what the others told me about it since I was new to the area. Some Companies more than others would run up and down the mountains every day as their training, one in particular would run up and down the mountain all the time from something as simple as a miss-dress in the uniform. Their Captain, a Captain Sobel as from what I heard as I was listening mostly than asking, as nothing more than a ruthless leader who held nothing back when it came to his men. I had the notion that the army was kind of like that: ruthless and a bit brutal.

"You want to go grab some food with some of the other guys?" He asked me casually though I shook my head at the thought of joining them. I was still trying to get my way around the camp and the men who worked there, and the thought of trying to get used to plenty of men being around me all the time. Compared to the others, I was more hesitant.

"No, thanks. I'm gonna wash up." I replied to him as almost as an excuse since I didn't really want to be around the guys at that moment. He just shrugged his shoulders then, still not knowing me enough and just thinking that I was telling him the whole truth. I had to give him credit, he was still young and innocent enough to get through the day.

"Alright, see you later then. Thanks again for the demonstration." He said to me with his warm smile before he wandered off back to his barracks near the other side of camp. I smiled at him, seeing how cool and collected he was compared to me. Hell, I was petrified on meeting new soldiers and people my second day there when I was going to be giving demonstrations and workshops on plane engineering. This was something I knew I had to work on for awhile really, how to be less shy and more confident.

It reminded me of the soldier I met on my first day.

Speaking of which, a Company was walking by the small aircraft area where I was against one of the prototype planes, all of them wearing their white shirts and running shorts. I was leaning against the plane and using the towel to get most of the grime off my fingers when they were walking by me now, some of them looking my way and others talking to one another under their breath. They were on their way to go run up the mountain called Currahee, but one of the soldiers looked right at me with a big grin on his face, having me freeze and watch him intensely.

It was Luz, the same soldier I ran into.

He was with two others and talking to them with lightness on his face though when we looked at each other, I felt the warmth seeping into me all over again since he grinned at me. I wondered if he recognized me really, yet I could tell he did since his walk had more pep in it and he shoved his hands in his pockets. The look he gave was more bashful when we were staring at each other and he was still walking with the soldiers, some of them who were close to him were snickering and already teasing him. I just smiled back, which was a hell of a first for me since myself and guys really don't mix well. Once I smiled, he was beaming and almost turning beat red and the others were laughing at him. That made me quickly look down and away from those boys, turning around to face the plane since then I felt embarrassed.

"Look at what you guys did!" I heard him mutter to the others, having me placed my fingers on the metal of the plane just to calm myself from how he was making me feel so hot in the cheeks and fuzzy in my head.

"You crushing on the pilot there, Luz? Way to shoot out of your league!" Another soldier commented to him in glee, having me look at my own reflecting in the metal of the plane. Once again, I had to face the music that I was in fact rather pretty, even with the grease on my face and the constant messiness of my hair and dirt under the fingernails. It was throwing me for a loop that he was looking at me in such a way that it reminded me of Adam: In adoration. I knew other guys would look at me with some kind of cuteness there, at least that's how all boys would look at girls for some kind of action behind it. But this was beyond different, according to me it was.

"You didn't get her name either, Luz? Wow, way to play the game and all that talk you have about women." Someone else joked with him as I was trying really hard not to look in their direction anymore. I was already feeling the hot heat of embarrassment going on with my face.

The last place I wanted to be was there, so I had something else to do to get my mind off of what was going on.

* * *

"How's it going in Georgia?" Aaron asked me as I was on the phone with him in one of our mechanic bunkers that we used for our daily work. I was leaning against the wall there in the bunker as some of the others were still working away on the vehicles there.

"Hot and humid, but Texas was way more ridiculous than this." I replied back to him as I heard him chuckle and shuffle a bit on his end of the phone line. It was good to hear his voice again and have something familiar to hear from all of these new faces around me.

"How's the summer weather in Massachusettes, back in Boston?" I questioned him as lane into the wall some more and I threw one of my hands in the pockets. I have missed those cooler days there in the summer because of the trees all over the place and how far up north we were. Hell, some of those days were plagued with rain and some storms here and there.

"It's hot today, but not too bad as of late. Mom and dad came over yesterday for have dinner and watch Beth for a bit while I had a teacher's meeting at the University." Aaron explained to me, having me stand up a bit from the mention of both of our parents and my daughter. It made me smile from him talking about Beth.

"How is she? How's Beth?" I asked him in almost a rushed manner, her face was filling my head now as I wrapped one of my fingers around the cord of the phone that I was near.

"She's doing great, Adaline. You would be proud, she tries to help me around the house with chores and even cooking. I got her to mix the soup, without dropping a single drop of the broth." I grinned when he said this, then hearing another set of footsteps behind him in the phone, smaller ones that were fast and almost urgent.

"Oh, she's right here, wanna talk to her?" He asked me, having me nod though he was not going to see it himself.

"Put her on for me." I said to him, hearing him shuffle a bit and then grunt as if he was lifting up something in his arms, or someone.

"Hi, mommy." Her voice was sounding so angelic and so soothing for me since that day was already chaotic as it was and being in Camp Toccoa was already a thrill ride. But to hear her voice, the small innocent voice of a two-year-old child whom I loved with every ounce of my being. She sounded so excited within those two words, and it reminded me why I was doing all of this.

"Hey Beth, how are you sweet one?" I asked her, hearing her giggle on the other end and I closed my eyes in relief.

"I was playing in the park today with Uncle Aaron, we collected leaves and I got them on a piece of paper for Grandma and Grandpa!" She explained to me in a giddy fast pace, having me giggle on the phone as she was sounding like it was a fascinating thing in the world.

"Slow down, honey. Talk nice and slow." Aaron coached her and I laughed.

"Sorry Uncle Aaron," She apologized to him, "What are you doing there, mommy?"

"I'm fixing cars and planes, remember?" I asked her in my sweeter tone that I would use with him.

"Oh yeah! I have that picture you sent in your letter!" She told me, having me grin as she mentioned the first picture that I sent home to her, the picture of me posing with the other girls in the WASP team as our introduction into the program.

"Are you gonna fly a plane soon, mommy?" She asked me sheepishly though I shook my head at the thought of me flying in that palsy anytime soon.

"I don't think so, honey. It's only me fixing cars and planes now, no flying anytime soon." I answered her.

"That's not fair! I think you should fly mommy!" She argued to me over the phone and I heard Aaron laughing in the background as I grinned from hearing the annoyance in her voice on how it was not fair for me not to fly. I have missed her innocence far too much.

"Well I will let you know when I do fly, and I will take a picture of me flying for you, okay?" I asked her, hearing nothing on her end of the line for a few moment before she spoke up again on the phone with her softness there being heard.

"Okay, mommy. I love you and miss you." I closed my eyes in defeat and in relief from hearing her say those three words to me. What was going to happen to me in the future with my role in the Air Force and Army? She was the real reason behind all of it, and I wanted to do it for her. Who knew what kind of life we were going to have in the near future and for me to have her in financial trouble would be making me lie awake at night? Whatever was going to come my way, I had to be able to face it in order to have a great life for Beth.

"I love you too, sweet one."

* * *

I broke into the hunk of bread that I grabbed from the mess hall and I stay on the edge of the wing of the plane I was working on earlier that day, the rest of the dinner on the tray there and having me just sit and watch the sunset coming over the Georgia sky. The plane I was sitting on was a Bell YFM-1 Airacuda, one of the bigger ones that we were testing driving and maunvering around at the camp. The different shades of orange and red along with the outline of purple within the deep blue sky and the cool breeze that was coming in. Once again in my coveralls and my boots were hanging off the wing while I was eating off the tray and drinking from my water canteen.

Ever since I got the phone call from home with Aaron and Beth, I was mostly wanting to sit myself and collect my thoughts about the whole situation really. I missed her far too much, and there was no sense of knowing when I was going to be able to see her again real soon excuse for anything that could happen in the war. It was still a fat chance that I would see any kind of action as a pilot though I was still certified as a pilot with WASP, so all I had to really had to think about was being a mechanic in a male dominated area and world.

"Hey." I was brought back from my thoughts and my worries about the future from someone calling out to me from the ground below me, making me look around for a mere second and then down to see who it was coming from:

The infamous man named Luz.

He looked out of breath, in his running training attire. He must have came from running up Currahee and moved over to talk to me, of all freaking people and being the one of the only females on this base, he found interest in talking to me? It made no sense to me he was smiling at me, hands on his hips and already having that confident look on his face like he knew what he was doing.

"Hello." I replied back to him, not thinking of anything else to say to the man as he grinned at me and having me once again see the pearly white teeth there.

"I kind of came by here to apologize for what happened earlier." He explained to me, yet I was looking at him in confusion now since I had no idea at that moment of what he was talking about. So I stayed quiet for a few seconds, having me see him look at me and wonder if I knew what he was talking about.

"You remember? Me and my friends walking by you while you were working and they were kind of…rude…" He trailed off since he felt like he was embarrassing himself with the whole conversation. I then remembered, knowing when he walked by with the guys earlier that day and they were teasing him about how he was looking at me. I just smiled and shook my head.

"Oh, oh that's okay. That was nothing." I replied to him, trying to sound normal with him, and yet it was harder than I thought. He grinned at me again, no longer looking like he was about to stumble over his words at me while I placed my tin can on my tray before I folded my hands on my lap again.

"It was still kind of sucky, you know? I don't think any of those guys know how to be a proper gentleman." He said in a light manner to me and I smiled. Once again, for some reason as we were looking at each other, I could feel the butterflies coming over me once again in the pit of my stomach and having me almost seem a bit tongue-tied from the whole situation.

"Plus, I kind of wanted to grab your name since you ran before I could get it." He said to me in a softer manner, in which I gave him a small smile and a nod in agreement.

"I did run pretty fast, didn't I?" I asked him in a sheepish way, seeing him shrug his shoulders and a small chuckle on his lips, "Though I caught that your name is Luz."

"Eh, the boys call me that. But my first name is George. George Luz." He said to me as an introduction to his name. I let that process through my brain a bit and how that name was going to fit him and how he looked. The name George did fit him really, which made the small air of mystery about him be raised a bit.

"George Luz…" I said to repeat it out loud to get it right on my tongue. Once I mentioned his name, he grinned even wider, almost looking like he was glowing from me saying his name. After he was watching me for a solid second before he then eyed the wing where I was sitting. I was wondering what he was going to do, since I could see that he had some kind of look in his eye and how he was thinking of something to do. He then ran over to where the wing was connecting to the body of the plane, grabbing it and hoisting himself up before I could even stop him from doing it. He swung himself onto the wing of the plane like he was swinging in the jungle, or even going through the combat training that I would see out on the field with the ropes and ladders. I was shocked as he was hopping up to walk over the top of the plane when I found my voice again,

"What are you doing?" I asked him as he was inching closer to me now, going slowly since the plane was wavering a bit with the extra weight. He crouched over to stand on his toes, the boots hitting the metal and his fingers inching along the surface to balance himself, having me also see that he looked a bit scared from walking over on the metal and almost falling off once or twice. I even reached out in instinct to grab him when his foot slipped slightly and he chuckled as he got himself to sit down next to me, rather closely really, and he sighed out in relief since he then looked at me real closely now. It was our first emitting al over again, how close we were now sitting on the plane next to each other.

"Wanted to be able to shake your hand properly, instead of just asking for your name." He explained to me with the grin back on his face, having me watch and see him lean back a bit in his spot on the plane and dangle his feet in the air below that both of us. He was really something else, a real breath of fresh air in this whole situation, and I wondered why I didn't even mentioned him to my brother when I talked to him on the phone earlier that day.

"Pleasure to finally meet you." he said to me with his grin there for me to see as he held out his hand for me to shake. I smiled at him too, having a good sense of warmth flowing through the both of us and seeing how genuinely kind he was with me. I could see too that his confidence made him a bit forward with me, but not enough to make him unattractive and forceful. He was just confident enough to me, and yet I was still shy enough to not let others in to meet me where I was. I shook his hand finally, feeling how smooth his hand felt and even how this felt more smooth as an official introduction to one another.

"I'm Adaline." I said to him, finding my voice and sounding more confident than anything. He eyed me as if I surprised him and he showed a softer smile at me now.

"Adaline….you don't hear that name a whole lot these days." He said to me with a shrug of his shoulders and a lightness in his voice as he said it. I grinned and nodded in agreement.

"My parents were pretty creative when they named me," I explained to him, hearing him chuckle.

"Please tell me you have another sibling that has a creative and pretty name like yours." He suggested though I blushed slightly from how he mentioned that my name was pretty. I tried to hide it though when I shook my head at his remark.

"No, my older brother was stuck with Aaron." I commented back to him, hearing him chuckle once again at me as I looked down to see that we both were still holding hands with one another. He looked too, seeing our hands together and see my face about it, pulling away before it would be more embarrassing for either one of us. My hand shot back to my lap as George placed his hand behind him to ease himself up in his spot on the wind near me. He looked out in front the both of us now as the sun was getting lower into the distance and the night was overcoming the area now in Camp Toccoa as we both sat there for a moment or two in the comfortable silence we made in the bunker there on the plane wing.

"So, you're a pilot and a mechanic here in the army?" He asked me casually as he eyed me then.

"Only a mechanic here." I replied smoothly, seeing him raise an eyebrow at me in confusion.

"Why not a pilot? They're not ready for a female pilot around here?" He asked in wonder. I thought about it for a moment before I answered him.

"Not really. I was only transferred here to be the mechanic and driver." I explained.

"So, you know vehicles then?" He asked with interest.

"My dad's a mechanic, he taught me all I knew." I answered back to him as I moved my hair from my eyes because of the slight breeze.

"I'm guessing he wanted you to be a mechanic than chasing after guys and getting your heart broken, eh?" He asked me with a smirk on his teeth, having me smile from the simple gesture of his smile.

"Not exactly." I replied back.

"Still, you're turning heads in my Company since they saw you jump wings and all." He explained to me casually now as he closed his eyes and let the breeze come over him.

"Your Company?" I asked him, seeing him nod his head.

"Easy Company, the best damn Company in the army." he said with boats of confidence there in his tone.

"Sounds more confident than anything." I commented to him, watching him crack one eye open to watch me now as I took another drink from my own tin can cause I had nothing else to do and I wanted to busy my hands from being so shy in front of him.

"We're a bit of a cocky bunch, I give you that," He replied to me as he rolled his shoulder around a bit before he went on, "A couple of the guys are more reserved, and a few of the guys are a bit on the jackass side of things."

"And where do you fit if I may ask?" I asked him, since being near him was giving me some kind of overwhelming feeling of confidence myself really. He made it not a scary thing to talk to him, more relaxed and smooth than rigid and careful. He grinned at me, the confidence on him was overwhelming for a moment as he just drank it all in.

"I like to think of myself as someone who knows how to get around when it comes to meeting new people. I'm not so uptight, not like our Captain." He answered me and I grinned at him then when he mentioned his Captain.

"Doesn't seem like a good idea to talk about your Captain like that." I voiced to him. Now he scoffed a bit because of the new subject of our conversation.

"The guys is pretty much every definition of a Dick, sorry for the language there." he said to me in a sincere manner, though I shrugged at him.

"I've heard worse language from guys with no class whatsoever." I replied, seeing him look at me now with a big grin plastered on his face like I said something brilliant to him and it made his whole day.

"So you think I have class?" He asked me in a coy manner, having me chuckle from my own spot. He knew how to make me laugh, I can give him that. He made this conversation feel safe, not forced or rushed at all. I was about to answer him when the sound of boots was heard, the both of us looking over to see a couple of guys walking over our way. I recognized a few of them: they were in his Company, Easy Company to be exact. They were dressed back in their training combat uniforms now and they walked over to the pair of us that were above them with our spot on the wing.

"Luz, we were looking for you! Some of us are going to play poker back at the cabin." One of them said to George, a lankier one with a pointed long nose and a mess of brown hair on his head that was styled to the side.

"Sorry boys, got caught up with Adaline here." George explained to them as he pointed to me with his thumb. I felt the heat of shyness all over me again as 7 pairs of eyes were looking at me now with interest, but not in judgment at all. I just waved at him shortly, since I knew fi I spoke I would be having word vomit coming out of my mouth.

"You're the new pilot from Texas aren't you?" Another one asked, this one was bulkier and looked like a tower compared to the others and had an Arkansas accent to him as he eyed me with his short strawberry blond hair.

"I'm just the mechanic around here." I tried to reason with him, but George shook that off.

"She's a pilot alright, and she knows vehicles." He said in almost a proud manner, the other men were looking at me now with big grins on their faces.

"That's a rare treat: a dame who knows her way around a vehicle." a third man said in a gruff kind of accent from Philadelphia now, having me feel like I should just run and hide under something really to get away from all of these men that were watching me.

"Cool it, Bill. I think we're scaring her." A fourth one spoke up, who was a bit shorter and looked more intense than the others since he was standing near the soldier from Arkansas who was towering over him like a giant.

"I'm surprised she hasn't ran for the hills after being with Luz for this long." A redheaded soldier commented in a snort, the others were laughing as George rolled his eyes.

"Oh, can it Malarky." He said back in retaliation.

"Well, Sobel is probably going to be coming our way right now to make sure we're out of our cabin, so we do need to head back." The short one said to him now with a more of a seriousness to him now, George nodding in agreement as he sighed in defeat. It sounded like he didn't want to leave me there on the wing of the plane as I saw him hop down from where he was next to me and be on the ground with the rest of the guys.

"Hey, you should join us one of these days for food?" The Malarky soldier suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. I was about to tell him no thanks, but George beat me to it as he was grinning up at me with those kind eyes again.

"I think she'll like us, don't ya think Adaline?" He asked me, but now not in cockiness but with kindness. The way he looked at me was beyond kind and sincere as if he was asking with his eyes and his voice at the same time if I would join them. It seemed like I naturally wanted to be on my own, but then again it would benefit me to make more friends with these boys here since they seemed like they didn't bring too much harm or uncomfortableness to me. So I just smile at him, the same smile I used that showed my genius happiness there.

"I wouldn't mind at all." I replied simply, almost in a shy manner as he grinned widely at me. The lanky soldier clasped him on the shoulder now.

"Come on, before we get into trouble." He said to George as the others smiled at me before they talked away. George grinned at me one more time, having me feel the flutter in my heart as he then reluctantly moved away from me with the others and they walked off. I was once again alone in the bunker on the plane wing and I couldn't stop smiling. I haven't felt this kind of happiness with another person since Adam, and just one conversation with this man made this whole situation of the army more bearable.

All from his goddamn smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: thanks for reading my story so far, I wanted to feature a Easy Company that is more positive than hard to work with :). If any of you guys are Betas and are willing to edit my chapters, PLEASE let me know! I would love a Beta for this story! **

**Leave a review and thanks for reading!**

* * *

"These planes are coming along quite nicely, well done." One of our heads was going over each plane in front of us to make sure we were doing a great and well enough job on our mechanic skills, though it was more nerve-wracking to say the very least in my own boots as he was looking at the planes I specifically worked on. This was going to be one of many inspections that we were going to have to go through, although they were not as big and hectic as the inspections that the army men that to go through, but it was still nerve-wracking for someone like me that wants perfecting on a project.

He walked over to my plane, Grumman F4F Wildcat, and he was going to the cockpit and then the engine with his assistant next to him as the others that were in the same lineup, looking right ahead at attention. They knew how I worked, the long hours after the regular work hours were long gone, how I took extra time on a specific piece of the plane and I hardly ever talked to anyone, yet I was civil with all of them being one of the only females there in the mechanic field at Camp Toccoa. The others that were female were kind to me, also trying to prove themselves there on the male dominated camp and workforce and we were almost a tight knit group really since we would talk together and gossip together. I kind of liked it really, since being around men was still giving me chills up and down the spine.

"Who worked on this plane?" The captain asked as he hopped down off the plane and looked at the line of us there in attention at him. 20 of us were men, and 4 were women. They all looked dead ahead as I spoke up at him.

"I did sir." I said to him in a bold tone, since that was what was required of me to do. He eyed me down and up even though I was dressed for the inspection with my hair up in a low bun and my hands behind my back. He was analyzing me, I could tell from how he was eyeing me there and a small smile on his lips. I knew the plane was beyond perfect, I combed it from the top to the bottom and there was nothing really wrong with it.

"I like what I see, well done O'Malley." He said to me finally through his thin lips. I saw the others in the lineup to my left and right smile from he remark to me and I said nothing since I had nothing else to really say about the situation. I knew it was good, beyond good to be honest, and for him to say that to me was nothing really knew.

"We're going to fly these planes for a test run, and I am hoping that when some of the pilots that we have to come and fly these tin cans, that they don't make one false move and the whole thing goes up in flames." The captain said to all of us now, almost like a sore tactic really though I really wanted to roll my eye from the notion of him trying to scare us.

"However, the pilots that we picked to test run the planes are not going to be available to fly anytime soon since there is a hold up on the scheduling to get them out here." He said to us, having me shift a bit in my boots, "So if we can find anyone here at Camp Toccoa that can fly one of these and give us a demonstration, then we can move on from where we are—"

"Sir," his assistant piped up with he clipboard in his hand. The captain looked over as he was pointing to the paper there and I saw some of the mechanics looking at each other in confusion as to what was going to happen really. Up to this point, I really kept the title of pilot under wraps, the thought of getting more attention pointed at me was going to make me want to vomit, since I was still working on the social part of this whole new job for me. But the Captain now looked up at me and his eyes were drilling into my own now, and my pals were about to sweat behind me back.

"O'Malley, you never told me that you were a licensed pilot for the air force." He said to me in almost a sly manner, the other in the lineup were not looking at me dead on with shock on their faces and no longer standing at attention. I just took a long deep breath before I knew I had to answer to my job description that happened to magically appear on his clipboard now.

"It was not part of my job description here in Camp Toccoa, Sir. I'm only here as a mechanic." I explained to him calmly, now he looked like he didn't believe anything that I was saying to him really. I knew this was going to happen, now this whole situation was going to be messy because I only wanted to be a mechanic, not to have the spotlight on me because I could fly a plane and I have wing to prove it.

"Well, would you like to fly the plane here and demonstrate how this plane can be properly used, or are you afraid of breaking a nail?" As soon as he asked that, I felt like I wanted to go over and punch him right in the throat. Some of the others in the line-up cringed from the sentence that he drew because he called me out from being a weakling there because of my role of a female. I dealt with guys like him before, being in the mechanic shop and they thought I was too damn pretty to work on a car. I have been underestimated all my life, and that was one button pushed too far. If there was one thing I was taught by my father, and I was going to teach to Beth when I had the chance, it was how to not step down when someone challenged my skills. I had to fight back, and I didn't care if he was a Captain or not.

"Fine." I replied smoothly, seeing him falter only a bit because of how I spoke up against him and the other mechanic smirked from the sudden boldness I had with the sexist Captain. I took a step forward from the lineup, already no longer wanting to be quiet and meek in front of him as I walked over to the plane and hopped up to get into the cockpit with ease and swiftly, not slipping or moving slowly. The Captain and his assistant watched as I landed in the seat easily and it made me eye them both now with a stern look. I was no real girly girl, I grew up in a working-class Irish family where I was taught to face what was thrown at me without backing down for moving away from it. I was not afraid to stand up for something I knew was good and right, yet I still had the shy exterior for others to see.

I started the plane within seconds, seeing both the Captain and his assistant moving away from one the plane as the engine was roaring in the bunker. It made a smile since I have missed flying in a plane for awhile. I was stripped of that right when I was assigned to only be a mechanic here in Georgia, it was different than it was in Texas. Moving the plane back to get it on the runway, I was just concentrating on the fact that I wanted to show that I was in indeed a pilot.

Once I took to the air, headpiece in place and my hands were on the steering wheel, it was like I was back in Texas and I was flying for the hell of it. I loved the feeling of flying, how fast I was going and how it felt like I was cutting through the water with the smoothness of the plane though the wind and the sky. I hovered over the Camp Toccoa, making smooth turns and cutting through some of the low clouds that were there as I was the only one there in the sky. It felt like I was giving myself a sense of release: no longer in fear of the judgment of others since I was alone in the plane. Being behind the wheel was almost a natural high for me to feel. It reminded me of when I would fly with my father when I was little and small enough to fit in his lap. He would make it smooth with his hands on the handle, and his eyes were determined and true. I wanted to do the same, and this might be the only chance I would get to fly because the rest of the time in the war I would be just working on parts and vehicles with my hands. Although being a mechanic felt natural to me, so did flying.

I landed the plane, slowing it down on the runway and then maneuvering the plane back over to the bunker where I started it. But when I was close enough to see, I could see the mechanics there all smiling and cheering of me, whirling their towels in the air and pumping their fists in the air. The only two who were silent about the whole thing was the Captain and the assistant since they both were in pure shock from all they saw. I made it look like a routine rapture run for a dog fight, making big and small turns and then some big scoops up in the sky. It was like I was looking more like a fighter pilot than anything, but as I stopped the plane and turned it off and opened the window to pop out, I could hear more of the cheering going on when I hopped down on the ground.

I walked over to the Captain and the assistant since they were still shell-shocked from what I did to them. Sure, I could be in more trouble than I thought I would be, but then again the Irish side of me came over because of his remark of me breaking a nail and not being able to do it myself. Never have I thought I would do something like this, but as I walked by them to head back over to the rest of the mechanics, I just grinned at them as they were eyeing me now in a new light. Being even more bold, I flashed my fingers at them to show that my nails though they weren't really spectacle to see.

"Sorry for ruining your dreams of a broken nail, sir." I said to them as they saw not one nail was broken or snapped. I walked on, a small smile on my face as they were still quiet.

No one will underestimate me again.

* * *

"Since when do you fly? That was amazing!" I was sitting on my bunk with the three other female mechanics in our cabin. I was getting to know each of them on the side since we were the only females that were on the base as mechanics, and it felt like we were on our own little club. I liked them all, and as soon as our inspection was over and we went back to the crib, they unleashed the questions on me before I could sit down on my bunk.

"I never bought it up because I was sent here as a mechanic, not a pilot." I replied to them all as they were beaming at me.

"You should have told them, we can use you here!" Betty said to me in a beamed manner with her smile showing on her face as she was sitting next to me. I shook my head at the thought.

"No, mechanic pay is good enough for me." I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.

"But you're so good at flying. You're staying a mechanic for the pay?" Delilah asked me with her soft manner. I grinned at all of them now since Beth was back in my mind now since she was the real reason that I was in the war and being invalid with where I was. I looked over to where my suitcase was, reached it since it was underneath my bunk and I pulled it out. Having it in my lap, I looked at the other girls now with my grin still on my face since I wanted to tell them all about my daughter.

"I haven't told you about why I was here in the first place, but I really need the money to provide for my daughter." I explained to them all as I found the picture of Beth that I stowed away from the journey in the war, I held it up for them all to see, having me watch as they were beaming at the picture of my two-year-old daughter. We took that picture before I went off to Texas, it was me holding her up in my arms in the park and her hair flowing in the wind and giggling at me. We both were wearing warm summer dresses and her hair was still long enough to place in braids if she wanted to.

"Oh, she is beautiful! Look at that face!" Betty cooed as she gently took the picture from my hands and held it there within her own. Delilah looked over her shoulder to see the picture as Francis then eyed me now. She was oldest one out of the four of us, and yet she was kind enough to be my age.

"You're doing this for her?" She asked me, having me nod my head and feel the lump in my throat since I was going to bring up something I wanted to bury for a bit.

"I only have her now, since I lost my husband two years old in a car accident." The mood changed when I mentioned that to the girls, all of their eyes were on me now as I looked more solemn now than before.

"Oh, Adaline…I'm so sorry to hear that." Delilah said in a painful manner, almost like she was the one who was affected by it. I just smiled at her, not wanting this whole conversation and night with the girls to be shot to hell because of my own history and woes.

"I have Beth to worry about it, her and her future. I joined up to get more money for the both of us really." I explained to her in a soft manner as the three of them were still watching me now on my bunk and having me just smile from having those three women there with support in their eyes.

"She's gorgeous, and she looks just like you." Delilah explained to me softly as she handed me the picture again. I grinned as I looked down at the very picture that got me through the months since I saw her last. I missed her beyond words, yet I only have a picture to hold in my hands, not her herself.

"I think you're doing the right thing, making a better future for the both of you." Francis said to me in a kind manner, placing a reassuring hand on my arm to both soothe and make me feel better since I looked like I was miserable in that point, holding my daughter's picture and almost on the verge of tears.

"It's hard to be away from her, but her Uncle is taking care of her and I haven nothing to worry about except for what I'm doing here." I replied to Francis, seeing her nod in agreement as she grinned at me a smile that showed she had wisdom beyond her years.

"For you to do something like this is already brave, I would doubt any mother would want to leave her child behind for the sake of trying to make a better life for them both. But you are far braver than you think, and I know Beth is proud of you." Francis explained softly in the room, the others grinning in agreement and I just stayed there in silence. I never thought of myself as brave, only as selfless when it came to my daughter and what she needed. Did Beth see me as brave? I was always scared of how she would view me and see me, though I couldn't see her as a child of judgment.

She was far too kind for something like that.

* * *

"Here you go, no more flat tire." I said to one of the officers when I hopped up from my courting position, already replacing the old tire on the jeep with a new tire. We were back at our mechanic shop in Camp Toccoa and I was back on the regular shift with my duties: oiling jeeps, fixing tires and getting engines to work properly again. That day I was working with Francis and two of the male mechanics as we were getting some of the jeeps ready to be placed on a ship to be sent out to the war. After having the talk with the girls in the cabin the night before, I felt a bit better that I had a support system with me there in Georgia instead of being all by myself. There was a better sense of peace because of it, no longer the feeling of isolation.

"Oh Jesus H. Christ, that Captain is back." One of the other mechanics said aloud in a grumble as the officer I was working with drove off with the jeep. I was with Francis as we both looked. It was the same Captain from before, but this time, he wasn't with his assistant as I thought he would be. No, he was with another person, but this time it was one of the bigger members of the army force.

Colonel Sink.

"Shit." Francis whispered under her breath near me as they approached me there. I stood at attention now, seeing the Captain eye me already and having the sense that he was not liking that he was either back here with the mechanics or with me who already took his challenge. Sink, on the other hand, was looking less pissed on being there and more interested in what he was seeing.

"You Adaline O'Malley?" He asked me with the authority in his tone. I nodded, not saying a word or two for a minute before he pointed to the Captain on his left.

"Captain Stevenson here explained to me that situation that happened yesterday, involving a mechanic flying one of my planes without my authorization." He explained to me with his gruff tone and I froze up in front of him there, the other mechanics around us looking grim at the situation since they were there to see it all happen and yet they couldn't vouch for me to tell me what happened. I knew I was going to be in trouble because of that, and now I had to answer to the freaking Colonel himself because of it.

"Sir, I apologize for flying without your authorization, I was only testing the plane to make sure it was accurate enough for use in the war—" I started to spill out word vomit in order to save my own ass from bing kicked out and head home without any money left in my pocket, but Sink held up a hand to me and I was instantly quiet.

"Now, if I wouldn't have looked out my window at that moment and saw that plane in the air, doing those precise turns and dives, I would have been angry at the pilot," Sink explained to me some more, his voice rang authority all over the place as I was confused as tow here he was going with this talk and his scolding, "However….be that as it may….I liked what I saw."

"Sir?" I asked him, shifting a bit in my stance with an uneasy manner.

"You're one hell of a pilot, not to mention a top-notch mechanic here at Camp Toccoa. I took a look the records they sent over to you: quite impressive being part of the first graduating class of female pilots in the Air Force." He complimented me with a smile on his face. I stammered a bit, not knowing what else to say to him as my fingers were tapping the sides of my coveralls.

"Uhh…thank you…sir." I said to out loud in almost a nervous way.

"I am, however, still confused as to why you were sent here as a mechanic and not as a pilot." He said to me now with a hint of suggestion in his voice.

"Sir, I took this job for that pay, along with being able to serve whenever I can." I explained to him in a careful manner, since I didn't want to offend him at all when I was going to mention that I only wanted the money and nothing else really.

"Being a pilot can give you more of a payment, O'Malley. In fact, I want to talk to you about your future with piloting and a couple of other things you can do that don't involve mechanics, if you'd like." he suggested to me, having me pause and then wonder where he was going with this conversation. Did He want to offer me something else? Was that something possible? I looked over at Francis for a moment, since I felt like I needed some kind of support out of all of this. She smiled and nodded her head at me, silently telling me to go with him and hear him out. I looked back at Sink, smiling and thinking that I had nothing else to risk really.

"I'm at your disposal, sir."

* * *

"So, he just offered you a job as one of the pilots for the army?" Delilah asked me as we both sat down in the mess hall together. She ran over to me after I talked to Sink about my new job offer, and it would happen that the rest of the mechanics were all getting the news way before I could even announce it to anyone. The news in the mechanic department would move faster than any teenagers in high school.

"Right then and there. He took me back to his office and explained to me how he wanted it to play out for me. I would still be working for the Air Force and taking orders from them, but I would help out here with the planes and the jeeps." I answered her as we sat together side by side on the bench. She grinned at me clasping her hands together and I could see she was far more excited than I was.

"Sounds better for you anyways, I couldn't picture you being this dirty the whole time while we are here in the war." She replied back to me as I looked down to see what we were eating that night.

"Well, I don't think me getting this new job would entail me eating new food." I muttered to her as I was poking what looked like a bad looking steak and mash potatoes. Delilah giggled as I looked over at her and seeing her nod in agreement.

"Never took you as a jokester anyhow." She said back to me as I grinned at her. It was nice for her to call me out in such a manner, "Besides, this is good since you're getting more money for Beth."

"That's true, and every cent of my pay is going to her back at home. I don't need it all the way out here really." I explained, and she was about to answer when we heard a commotion behind the both of us at the front of the mess hall. We both looked, having me nice and almost blink twice since it was Easy Company, and the bunch of boys that saw me with Luz the other day when we were talking on the plane that I was working on. I recognized at least 5 of them and their faces: The tall Arkansas boy, the short serious one who looked like there was a stick up his ass, The lanky boy who was buddies with the redhead who was grinning from ear to ear, and of course the Philadelphia talking guy who looked stern and like everything bothered him. Towards the middle of the group was George, laughing with two others who were grinning at something he said.

"Is that the guy you were talking to?" Delilah asked me with a grin as I looked over at her with a raised eyebrow,

"How do you know about that?" I asked her, thinking that it was already bizarre that she knew this kind of thing and that I never said a single word about it.

"Betty saw you two talking when she snuck into the bunker to get her tools," Delilah explained to me as I rolled my eyes at her and gave her a pure look of dislike.

"Am I now the hot topic around here?" I asked her with annoyance. I hated having this amount of attention on me now since they were not only talking about my new job that was basically new and unique, but the fact that I was talking to another soldier and smiling while I was doing it. What else were they thinking about at that moment when I was the hot topic?

"You basically are, and be grateful for that. Better to have good news about you than bad news." Deliah advised me as Francis and Betty sat down across from us. They looked over in hr sam direction of the Easy Company boys as they sat down at their own table and started eating themselves.

"Oh yeah, those guys are such a bunch of misfits." Betty commented as she poked at her own food.

"And yet I'm the hot topic when it comes to them?" I asked him carefully, seeing her grin at me and then look over at Francis who in return just shrugged her own shoulders, "And thank you for blabbing to the others about me talking to Luz, by the way."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Betty asked me with a shrug of her shoulders and looking like she was trying to defend herself. Francis chuckled to herself as Delilah only grinned while she took a long drink from her tin can, "It looked rather cute, the two of you talking. I swear, you reminded me of my teenage sister and her boyfriend, how they looked at each other and all."

"You make it sound like I enjoy talking with him." I said to her though Francis rolled her eyes.

"I think you _do_ enjoy talking to him, Adaline. There's nothing wrong with that." Francis said to me in a reassuring manner, and I was about to answer her when I heard footsteps behind me. All four of us looked, seeing that it was of course George Luz there, standing over me with the big grin on his face and a realizing stance there. The two of us talking on the wing of the plane was the main topic of the mechanics, and it must have been because mechanics and soldiers don't really talk to one another on a regular basis. But now it had to have changed, and for some reason just seeing him watch me there, I really didn't care.

"Heya Adaline. Glad I caught ya." He said with the smile on his face and a warm tone there to be heard. I smiled at him.

"Hello, George." I said back to him, the other three girls at my table were already getting did about me talking to him. But at that moment, I really didn't want to look at them and feel a blush creeping over my skin. I just wanted to focus on George in front of me and his kindness.

"I wanted to find you earlier so you can sit with us for dinner, but you're already eating." George said to me in almost a disappointed manner as he motioned to my tray of food. I felt kind of bad for him since he was looking forward to talking to me with his friends and eating with me as his company of friends.

"She hasn't eaten yet," I whirled my head over in Francis direction, whom pointed to my plate with her fork and had a kind look on her as she looked at George now, "So she can still go with you and eat if she wants."

"I don't wanna pull her away if she's talking to you guys..." George trailed off though I was still looking at Francis who was now eyeing me and giving me one wink from her eye. She knew what she was doing, it was precise and sneaky. She was trying to get me to have more time to George. I had to give her credit, Francis was looking out for me and thinking the best of me. She knew that I was not the best at making friends because of my shyness, yet she was still going to try and find a way for me to make friends.

"She's right," I said aloud to George as I was still looking at Francis before I slowly looked up at him now, "I can still eat with you and your friends if you want me to."

George's grin was back on his face again, smiling so widely now from my answer to him.

"Excellent! Come on over!" He said in glee as I got up from my spot on my tray in hand. I stood up there with my tray and I grinned at the three girls, all who were trying so hard to not have huge smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, Francis." I said to her under her breath as she just grinned and nodded her head at me once before I walked away from the three of them and following George over to the table where his friends were at. Great, this was going to be the best thing ever for me since I was now going to meet a bunch of strangers that were in fact men. Although they were kind to me when we talked earlier at the bunker, who knew what was going to happen now really.

"Heya fellas, I found Adaline. Make room for the lady, will ya?" He said to the boys, two of whom moved out of the way for the both of us to sit together. I got onto the bench and sunk myself down gently, already seeing all of them looking at me and I could feel the judgment about to commence. It felt like I was at school when I was trying to meet new friends. it was a bad thing, and who knew it was going to be bad now. It took a good solid 10 seconds of pure silence before it was broken by someone else at the table.

"I'm Bill Guarnere." The Philadelphia man said to me, holding out his hand for me to shake. I gently shook it, though he had more of a grip one me since my hand felt so tiny in his own hand. Once we shook hands, he then looked down at our joined hands and had a smirk on his face.

"Eh, I knew it," He said in a cocky manner, having me look at him in confusion as he was still holding my hand gently now but looking at it like he was examining it as a doctor, "You have mechanic hands for sure."

"Quick being a creep, will ya?" The lanky boy said to him now announce clearly on his face as Bill reluctantly released his hand from me and I shot it back to my tray.

"I'm ain't creeping, Liebgott, just making sure that Luz was tellin' me the truth." He replied back to the lanky boy in almost a bark to him, though the lanky boy rolled his eyes and he smiled at me softly.

"I'm Joe Liebgott, nice to meet you." he said to me in a nice enough manner as I smiled back at him.

"Nice to meet you too." I replied the others were smiling then since I didn't seem too harmless for their liking.

"So where did you learn how to fix cars?" The short serious one asked me in our crusty.

"My dad taught me, he ran a shop since he was my age, maybe younger." I replied smoothly since the last thing I wanted to do was stumble over my own words and look like an idiot. They all looked rather impressed.

"Where are you from?" The Arkansas giant asked me as he was sitting on his bench that looked two sizes too small for him.

"Massachusetts, Boston area really." I replied to him, "And you're from Arkansas?"

"How could you tell?" He asked me with a grin on his own face.

"I have family who lives out there on my mother's side, I can tell from the accent." I explained with a shrug of my own shoulders now. He chuckled at me as he analyzing me up and down with his giant stature.

"I'm Denver Randleman, they call me Bull here in Easy." He said in a kind way.

"Can't imagine why." The short man joked as the others laughed at him, "I'm Johnny Martin. Nice to meet you Adaline."

"Likewise, I really didn't want to interrupt your meal with each other." I said to him, but mostly to everyone else that was at the table. But they shook their heads from what I told them.

"It's fine. It was better this way so that Luz could stop shutting up about you and how he still wants to talk to you." The redheaded soldier, whom I remembered was named Malarky, remarked with a grin on his face and the other soldier next to him chuckled and nodded in agreement. I sheepishly looked over at Luz, whom as giving the two soldiers a death glare since his own seat with his fork in hand. He too looked embarrassed by the whole thing, though I just smiled at the simple thought of him talking about me plenty of times with the men until he was blue in the face.

"Thank you very much Malarky, no more Johne Wayne impressions for you anytime soon." He said to Malarky in almost a bitter manner, though he caught my attention now with what Malarky said about him doing impersonations.

"You do impressions?" I asked him in curiosity, the others watching George now as he broke out into a small grin on his face.

"On my down days I do, makes things lighter around here than dealing with Sobel and his sorry ass of a Captain." Luz commented to me with a grin there clearly seen that made his whole skin look a bit lighter. I never thought of him doing something like that, but now it suited him too since he looked like someone who needed to bring joy to others.

"So, Adaline." I was taken away from gazing at Luz and seeing Bull talk to me now with curiosity there on his face, "What brings you to the army?"

"Yeah, I doubt being a mechanic was on the top of any girls list." Another soldier added to it with curiosity.

"Cool it, Toye. We don't wanna scare her away." The soldier next to Malarky said in an advising manner.

"I just wanna know, Muck. Jesus." Toye countered back with him with a roll of his eyes and aviation on his face.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," I said to him with kindness, the others watching me for my answer, "I really needed the money to be completely honest."

"Fair enough," Joe said in agreement with a smile on his face, "Mechanic work pays well?"

"Not well enough, but it pays." I answered him.

"But you're only doing mechanic work?" Bill asked me, having me also see Luz looking at me too in curiosity with the question there haunting the table. Were they ready to hear that I was no hired on as a pilot for Colonel Sink? I felt like I had to save that conversation for another time since I was getting used to the men and not going paranoid over it. And even though I was still hesitant with them, I felt the sense of comfort and peace with all of them since they weren't looking at me wrong. No, they were looking at me like I was one of them, one of the guys that they wanted to get to know and befriend. It was making me feel more comfortable and less on the radar and on a bridge about to fall off. Once again, I found myself locking eyes with Luz and the soothing warmth was all over my body because of how he was looking at me and smiling at me. I swear, this boy was going to have some kind of hold me and it was going to be in big trouble one of these days. But the way he smiled and was watching me like I was the only person in the world, I couldn't help but smile because of me not caring. So torn my eyes away from Luz and looked back at Bill when I answered him:

"So far, only a mechanic."


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on, tell me you have seen more movies from Katharine Hepburn." George said to me with a grin as we were sitting together now out in front of his porch one of the evenings that we both had free. The cool Georgia air was coming through our area of camp, and after having the first dinner with all of the Easy Company men, I was started to like each go them since they were nothing but kind to me. Since then, whenever I would see one of them while I was at work, they would wave and say hello to me. It was making it easier and easier for me to get used to this new life. I still got calls from Aaron and Beth every other day, which made me happy to hear that she was doing beyond fine with my brother.

"I did see _The Philadelphia Story_ once when it came out." I said to George as we sat together our on his porch, having me see him chuckle as I told him this and I grinned back at him. We both were drinking soda bottles that we nabbed from the bunker where the mechanics held their own drinks that were non-alcoholic.

"That's a classic, but have you seen any comedies? Those are the best kind of movies." George explained to me with a boast in his manner as I took a drink from my bottle.

"What, like _Swing Time_? That's a good one." I voiced to him. He grimaced a bit when I mentioned the title of the movie.

"That's okay if you only want to chuckle a bit. But if you want a real laugh, you have to watch _Road to Singapore_." He explained with his grin plastered there on his face, and I just stared at him with a bit of shock there.

"Didn't another picture called _Road to Morocco_ just come out the other day?" I asked him in wonder as he then eyed me with a bit of shock there.

"I'm surprised you know your own cinema." He said to me with the twinkle in his eye. I just shrugged my shoulders then since it was still no new news to me to know about that movie.

"My brother was planning on taking me out to the movies to see that if it wasn't for the Air Force nabbing me." I explained to me softly, already remembering when my brother talked to me about the movie and how he wanted to take me out since I was already stressing out too much with Beth and making a life for the both of us.

"I take it you're a big fan of the comedy movies." I voiced to him now as he leaned back in his spot on the porch and his legs were out in front of him.

"I love me some movies, especially the ones with John Wayne. They are the best kind of movies to watch." He explained to me as he then looked over in my direction with an eye raised, "You got out to movies much?"

"Not a whole lot." I replied yet I could tell from the look in his eye that he was going to ask more questions about that. At this point, talking to him every once in awhile and getting close to him as a friend.

"You do anything else other than working on cars and flying planes?" He asked me with a grin, having me smile at him since he even wonder if I had some kind of social life outside the mechanic shop. It was hard enough to open up to someone whom I just met, but then again this was going to be tougher since I was going to be talking about my personal life. Something about George made me think that he was not going to be afraid of the fact that I had a daughter, but then again most men would be afraid to be near a girl who already had a daughter. Was I willing to take that leap of faith and trust that George was not going to run out on me? Was he still going want to be around me? Did he even like me enough to call me more than a friend?

"Adaline? You okay?" He asked me, having me realize that I haven't spoken in about a moment or two while I was sitting there on the porch and too lost in my own thoughts and worries. I snapped out of it even though George was still watching me now and holding his soda bottle there in his hand. His eyes on me now look a bit concerned since I looked too overwhelmed with my own thoughts.

"Yeah, I was just…thinking about my family." I said to him, both telling him the truth and leaving the fact that I had a daughter out of the picture.

"You miss them?" He asked me, the smile was still gone on his face, but he looked like he was purely interested in what I was thinking about.

"All of them, my mom and dad….my brother…" I trailed off, thinking of all three of them before my mind went back to Beth again and how much I missed her terribly. Some of the days there in Camp Toccoa were being far too much because I was missing my daughter and wanting to be with her, and yet other days I was just fine that she was safe and fine with Aaron.

"And I have someone else in my family that I haven't told you about yet." I said to him carefully now, almost like I was trying to tiptoe around the conversation and not make it more awkward as it was in my own head. But he just watched me and gave me a shrug of his shoulders to show that so far he didn't care who I was about tot talk to about next and he was not running up Currahee in panic. Not yet.

"George…I have a child." In my mind, as soon as I said it, it was like I dropped a bomb over the both of us and it made me freeze he looked at me now with a confused but serious look all over his face. It made me really worry that he was going to be scared of the fact that I was a mother and he wasn't going to want to be around my anymore because of that. So I just sat there, perfectly up straight like I had a pole down my back to not have me curl over and hunch over and I kept my eyes on George as he took a deep breath. I could tell he was trying to swallow it all in, yet he stayed still and wasn't moving at all from his seat next to me.

"You have a kid." He didn't make it sound like he was in shock, but it was still sounding like he was trying to get it under this skin and get used to that new piece of information that I gave him. I kind of knew that this was coming, and I sighed in defeat before I could say anything. Great, I had to be the idiot and open my big mouth to tell him something that could either make or break a friendship. I got up from my spot and left my soda bottle there next to him on the porch, since I had no real heart to look at him now since it felt like my own heart was breaking in how he was reacting.

"I shouldn't have told you." I muttered to him since I really didn't want to break down and cry in front of him now. I was about to walk away from him and find my own bunk to sit there and hide from the rest of the world. But within a second, I heard him shoot up from his spot on the porch and gently grasped my hand before I could even move. I felt it, the shot of electricity that was there when we touched hands and I looked around to stare at our hands that were connective together. He was holding my hand not by force, but with kindness there and our fingers were almost lacing together. I only had Adam hold my hand like this, and it was making me slowly look up at George now. HIs stare at me, almost looked scared and worried since I was about to leave him behind from his reaction.

"Adaline….I'm sorry." He said to me with a small bit of boldness there and I watched him as he took a shaky breath, "I was just drinking it in…even though, it looked more terrible on my part. Okay? Just…come sit back down, please." He said to me in almost a pleading manner. He looked like a lost puppy really, how he was watching me and making sure that I wasn't going to leave him there on the porch.

It was one thing that he knew what he did was wrong and how he react, but it was another that he tried to keep me there to talk to him some more. I would have had the right mindset to just leave him there since I felt embarrassed enough for telling him so bluntly, but the look he was giving me made me want to stay really. So I reluctantly decided to go with the latter and just stay with him, since that last thing I wanted was to make him feel back. We both sat back down on the porch after he released my hand, yet once he did I was missing the feeling of his hand on my own and now soothing it felt there.

"It's just….I never pictured you as a mother." He said to me in an honest manner, a small smile was back on my face on how innocent he sounded with me as he took another long hesitant sip from his soda.

"Hardly anyone pictured me as a mother, it's nothing new." I reassured him as he gave me a curious look. I saw him shift a bit in his spot, almost uncomfortably since I could tell he had a question that was at tieback of his mind now and I almost had a feeling it had to do with my daughter.

"So you're married then?" He asked, trying to make it casual and not cruel. I cringed a bit, not saying anything after a moment and he eyed me then, seeing the look of distress on my face. This was not how I wanted out evening together to go really since I never wanted to have some kind of damper in out relationship as friends. I shook my head then, feeling that I had to tell him more than I wanted to. But with George, he wasn't going to judge me. I could feel it how he was watching me now with intrigue.

"I'm a widow." I said to him, seeing him look like he was in a bit of pain from what I told him.

"Oh, Jesus…I'm sorry Adaline." He said in almost a sorrowful manner, but I shook my head at him now since the last thing I wanted to do with each other since what we had together as friends was far too good for me to pass up.

"It's fine, George. I've gotten better from it anyways. And plus, I don't really talk about it a whole lot because of guys being…afraid of me." I explained to him casually, yet he looked at me in a confusing manner again.

"Why would they be afraid of you?" He asked, not clearly getting where I was going with this conversation. I sighed in frustration since it was bad enough I told him that I was a widow with a child, and yet it was not enough for him.

"Because I have a child, and no guy really wants to be friends with a girl, let alone ask a girl out on a date, when she already has a kid." I explained to him a bit harshly as I was just venting to him at this point. It sucked, knowing that I wasn't going t get any guys coming over to ask me on a date when they found out that I had a child. Beth was almost like the barrier I had to be with another man, and it wasn't that I resented her for that, but it was still hard enough. George didn't look like he was completely embarrassed by the whole conversation of it, but mostly intrigued by what I told him. Once he spoke up again, I was not planning to be floored from what he told me then and there.

"Well, those guys are dicks." He said to me, plain and simple. I looked at him in shock.

"What?" I asked him in shock now, seeing him then shake his head rapidly.

"Sorry, I mean jerks," He replied since he thought I was in shock from his language, "But still, Those kinds of guys aren't even guys at all."

"I'm not following." I said to him in defeat, seeing him nod in agreement as he shifted to face me some more now as we were still next to each other.

"Look, Adaline, I know a bunch of my mom's friends from Rhode Island who are single moms. They were single either because they were divorced, the guy ran off when they had a bun in the oven or they were widowed…but the middle one was the most common to be fair. I've been guys who wanna take them out on dates and that them nice, but they decide not to because of the single mom thing. To me, that's total bullshit…sorry!" He apologized again with the swearing, but I shook my head at him.

"George, I have heard worse swearing from my grandparents when they are both sober and when they drink. You sound pure compared to them." I reassured him, seeing him crack a grin when I defended him and how he was trying to act like a gentleman in front of me.

"Anyways, I've learned watching those guys…that they're scared! Honestly, they are scared of taking out a woman on a date all because she's taking care of a child, which is one of the bravest things anyone can do on their own. It's already tough enough being a single mother, but to be rejected and still be able to get up every day with a smile on their goddamn face….that's more guts than anything." He explained to me boldly, close enough to hold my hand yet he didn't. Something shifting in my sight of him, on how I looked at him from day to day. He wasn't showing any kind of fear from knowing that I was a single mother, but he was more for me than against me. He was more serious than I gave him credit for, not to mention bold enough to lay it on thick with me. I smiled at him after he said all of this, having an overwhelming sense of pure relief from hearing him praise me for what I am doing.

"You're saying I have guts?" I asked in almost a sheepish manner, seeing the grin back on his face as he nodded his head.

"Oh course you do, a lot of it really." He said to me with a wide smile now. It felt like water under the bridge now with him, since he clearly accepted me as a single mother and was not going anywhere at all. This was a first for me to experience something like this with another guy who was not willing to shut me out. The war fluttering feeling was back within my chest again as he was looking at me with his kind eyes and a big grin on his face. He didn't want to leave me behind, and I didn't want to either. I was caring for him, more than I should. But I didn't want to stop caring for him since it felt good for me to have this kind of feelings for someone else and I haven't felt that in a while.

"So," George said in almost a stammer like he was trying to steer the conversation in a lighter way instead of making it more awkward than it could be, "You have a….."

"Daughter," I said in a small chuckle from he was struggling to say either a girl or a boy, having me see his grin get bigger when I said I had a daughter, "Just one daughter. Her name is Beth."

"And she's what…6?" He asked me with a shrug of his shoulders and I shook my head in a chuckle.

"Jesus no. She's about to turn 3 in a few weeks actually." I explained to him as I then reached into my jacket pocket to pull out the picture of her I was keeping in my jacket. I moved it over to him to look at, seeing him look at the picture and his smile was now looking less of a goofy grin but sincere now as he was looking at my daughter. All I could do now hold in a breath and hope that he liked what he saw in the picture of Beth though I too was in the picture holder her in my arms.

"She looks like you." He said in a sincere manner. I was watching him more than watching my daughter in the picture. For some reason, I got lost just looking at him and how he was looking at Beth, how his smile was itching up on his face like he was sincerely happy on seeing a picture of her. Although, I saw him then look over to where I was in the picture, holding Beth in my arms and I could have sworn he was looking at me long than I thought he should.

"You look good in this picture too." He said out of the blue like he was saying it to himself now and I was a bit out of beth for how he said it. There was nothing bad in the way he said it yet he made it seem more like a fact than anything really. I didn't see that one coming, and it came out of nowhere and it blindsided me. I only hoped that I wasn't dreaming when he said it, cause when he looked at me, I had one considerable fact in my corner now:

I liked him. I really like him.

* * *

"I want you to meet someone whom I had my eye on as a driver." I was still working on another jeep that wasn't going on the acceleration, and with two others watching me do this now since I was the expert now in the bunker, I was too much within my concentration then when I noticed three men walking over in my direction. I looked up from my spot with both of my hands on the engine and trying to tweet it to the left, seeing Colonel Sink, a Captain or some rank and who looked to be the 1st Lieutenant behind him. The Captain looked beyond tense, stern in the face with dark brown slick over hair and almost rigid like he too had a pole straight down his back and not showing any sign of weakness. Yet in his 1st lieutenant, compared to him, he looked less of a tyrant in how he walked and had more of a gentle face with his own sporting of red hair that shined in the sun as they walked over to me.

"Gentleman, this is Adaline O'Malley." I smiled at the two officer as I hopped off the jeep and wiped my agreed stained hands on my coveralls before Sink introduced me to the both of the two men, "O' Malley, this is Captain Sobel and 1st Lieutenant Winters of Easy Company." I smiled at the both of them as I saluted them both.

"Pleasure." The Captain said almost too shortly with me, making me almost falter a bit on how harsh he sounded along with it matching the look of his face. But the Lieutenant smiled widely at me and nodded at me once, showing that he was no threat.

"Boys, Adaline is here because of the Air Force, one of the first female pilots on their roster for the war. I wanted to introduce you to her because I think she can be of great use for you as one of our drivers, bringing you supplies and shuttling men in and out of battle." Sink explained to the both of them though I stayed still and was not going to say a word or two to them.

"How experienced are you with machines, Miss O'Malley?" The Captain asked me now with curiosity in his tone now as he was analyzing me up and down like the previous Captain did to me. This time though, I was trying real hard to be civil and not make a scene in front of him now since Sink was there now looking at me too.

"I've been working around engines since I was 13 years old, sir." I replied to him smoothly, the lieutenant behind him looking a bit impressed with a small smirk on his own face. The Captain, on the other hand, was not looking impressed enough.

"You ever had experience in combat training yet?" He asked me, once again sounding professional.

"No sir, they don't teach us how to hold a gun when we were being taught how to fly a plane." I replied, having me tell him the hard truth without sounding too brash about it. He eyed me, his dark brown eyes drilling into me and having em wonder if he was already hating me because I somewhat spoke back to him. Sobel then looked over at Sink now with the look of pure boredom.

"May I speak to you, sir?" He asked, Sink nodding his head and the two of them walking off away from me so I couldn't hear what was going on. I watched, a bit hesitant about what was going to happen with me really when the 1st Lieutenant walked over with the smile still on his face. He too looked kind, a good soldier already but a smile was still there none the less.

"Your name is Adaline, right?" He asked, his voice even sounded smooth and kind compared to Sobel who was rigid and raspy. I nodded with a grin on my face as he held out his hand for me to shake. I shook it without hesitation, making me feel better already about his awkward situation that was happening around me.

"Nice to meet you. Apparently you're the mechanic the men in Easy are talking about." He explained to me as I tried not to blush in front of him because of the sincere look on his face when he was trying to make conversation with me.

"Oh, so it's your boys that like to talk to me," I said with a grin, having me hear him chuckle from my remark, "They're harmless. Actually they've been nothing but nice to me Mr…..I didn't catch your first name."

"Dick Winters," he reminded me with his small smile on his face, "Where are you from anyhow? Somewhere out East?"

"Boston area, a small town in Massachusetts," I explained to him kindly, "And how about you?"

"Pennsylvania area, a small town called Hershey." He replied back to him, and it felt like we were having a casual conversation with each other instead go making it be like an interview with Sobel.

"That's a nice town to grow up in, from what I have been told." I commented, his grin was making me feel better about the situation at hand. Sink and Sobel started to walk back over to the both of us, having Winters and I move a bit away from each other as Sink spoke up with his gruff tone and Sobel still looking as stern as ever.

"O'Malley, I explained the situation with Sobel that you are still employed by the Air Force." He said to me but then I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Employed?" I questioned him.

"Meaning you are still only taking orders from the Air Force, and rightfully so since that is where you got your wings. However, I was going to offer you a position with Easy Company as one of their personal drivers and supply runners. Sobel, on the other hand, is still convinced enough that you can handle being with Easy as their driver." I turned my gaze from Sink over to Sobel, who still looked too professional for his own good. It gave me a sinking feeling in my gut that he thought of that with me, but then again I kind of knew it was coming from all the stories that the soldiers here at Camp.

"I offered to have to do a test run for him to see if you are, in fact, qualified though I can say from what I saw with you flying that you are." Sink explained to me. But this time I wasn't too bold in showing off my skills to him really. The last thing that I wanted now was more exposure on my end, and it looked like this Sobel guy was no joke to deal with or handle. But then again, Sink wanted me to do it and see for himself since he already had enough in me to do something like this. I nodded my head then, thinking I had no other choice in the matter.

"Sure, sir. I don't mind." I replied to him as I looked back at the jeep behind me. This was going to be one of the typical jeeps that were going to be used in the war, called a Willys MB vehicle. I walked over to that jeep and hopped in the driver's seat, snagging the keeps from the top compartment and starting it up. Sink, Sobel, and Winters moved out of the way as I got the jeep into gear and then rolled it out from its spot in the bunker. Once again, the mechanics that were there were watching me now as I got the jeer easy for a long haul up and down the trip where it was located in front of the bunker.

I got the jeep into high gear, the acceleration on the jeep was shown as I was driving it down the strip within come proximity to the grass that was near the asphalt of the strip. I would move from gear to gear without a hitch at all to it, almost seeming like I was smooth on glass than anything else really. It reminded me when Aaron would teach me how to drive and to move in and out of the areas of Boston without getting touched or in an accident. Like our father, Aaron was smooth with the moving of gears and acceleration and braking of the car.

It felt like I was showing off again to another Captain, but now Colonel Sink was looking on with a sign of approval on his face when I pulled back into the bunker now and turned off the jeep after riding around for a few minutes. I hopped out of the jeep, opening the hood of the jeep to let it cool down as I then gazed over at the three of them who were watching the whole time. Sink had a satisfied smile on his face, Sobel looked a bit more shocked and Winters looked more impressed than anything.

"Well done, I like what I see," Sink said to me like he was some kind of proud father. I grinned at him fro ear to ear, more worried about him than anything since this Sobel guy was kind of getting under my skin really on how he was watching me like a Hawk and analyzing me. It was almost awkward looking really.

"Captain Sobel, I want to speak to you in my office." He said to Sobel now with his authoritative voice, having me watch as Sobel reluctantly left with Sink and they both walked away from me now and the bunker. I was left there in front of the jeep with Winters, who still looked impressed with me after what I did in front of him and the two others.

"If it's safe to tell you, I have never seen somebody drive like that before." he said to me as a compliment as I shrugged my shoulders.

"I learned from my dad and brother." I explained to him calmly, a small smile was back on my face since the whole conversation started with the three officers. However, I heard someone walking over to another jeep behind me, one of the newer mechanics as he was about to work on the jeep I was just driving. I looked over to see what he was doing, and he was about to make a stupid move when he was going to open the cap to check the oil. Even though I turned off the jeep about 3 minutes ago since I pulled back into the bunker, I knew these jeeps still ran hot after even 15 minutes of working, and this was not good for him. Within a few seconds, I jumped over as he was about to touch it with his bare hand, thinking it was cool enough.

"Hold on, wait a second!" I said to him as I shoved his hand out of the way for the steam to get out, but it touched me instead. I instantly felt pain all over my hand when it got in the line of fire, having me shout out in pain and someone grab me from behind by my arms and getting me out of the way. My whole hand was burning from the steam, already feeling blusters going up and down on the skin as I almost doubled over in pain and squinted as I tried not to scream out anymore from the feeling I was feeling.

"You okay?" I realized that it was Winters that pulled me back as someone else got the cap back on the top before anyone else could be burned or hurt. I nodded, biting my lip still from the pain that I was feeling as he looked over my shoulder to see my hand. I did too, seeing the blisters and 1st degree burn on the top of my skin that made the color look pinker and almost raspberry colored. It was driven me insane as one of the mechanics ran over to check up on me.

"Stupid steam burns, always happens with these jeeps from the overheat." he said to me in a worried manner as he looked at my own hand as well as Winters. But then he shot a look over at the first mechanic who almost lost his own hand from making that stupid move. The poor young mechanic, who looked to be almost 19 years old and was on the verge of tears from all that happened.

"What in the hell, Kapper? You know not to touch the engine for at least twenty minutes!" He scolded the young boy who threw up his hands in defense as I was still going through the pain in my hand.

"I thought it was twenty minutes!" He said in defense, but I spoke up before the second mechanic would scold him anymore.

"Enough, leave him alone. He was fine." I said to him, but now in return I was a raised eyebrow at him now since I was defending the new mechanic.

"You got your hands burned, you know that right?" He asked me as if he was reminding me of the pain and how red my hand was getting since it was getting a little worse now. I was still hunched over a bit, my other hand clutching my wrist, yet the only thing I could think of really was to make sure the new mechanic was not the one who was going to get hurt. I didn't care fi I was going to get burned since apparently I had a mother bear aspect of me. He was far too young to already get hurt while he was working in the war, and I didn't mind it myself really.

"Better me than him." I said back to him coolly, though he still looked skeptical about as Winters spoke up from behind me, still holding my arms and making sure I didn't double over in pain and agony that I was still feeling.

"Come one, I can take you to the medical tent." He urged me calmly, and I wanted to say no to that before he started to move us away from the area and out of the bunker. I still held onto my hand as he released me, having me just go with him and not really try to get my way out of it. It looked more stupid on my back, but I had to think that I didn't want to be selfish when someone was about to get hurt and I could prevent it.

Still, it looked stupid.

* * *

I sat in the medical cabin that was set up there next to the soldier's cabins, the big red cross on the front of the cabin on a white background and the medic flag hanging over the cabin high in the sky. Winters dropped me off there and told me he would have one of the Easy medics take a look at my hand to make sure it was okay since he had to go and tend to the rest of the company, it was already far too much for him to help me over to the medic cabin and make sure I was settled. He reminded me of Aaron with the brig brother kindness and care to it. Although I would rather be working on a jeep at the moment and keeping my head low, this was where I was supposed to be really.

"Miss O' Malley?" I was staring at the burns on my hand that was resting on top of the table when my name was called, having me look up to see a medic there, a new soldier really, looking down at me with a knitted brow on his face. He was wearing his training uniform, but a large medic armband was on his arm. He was sporting jet black, almost blue from the light of the sun streaming into the cabin and the florescent light, and his eyes were a very dark shade of blue. He was looking down at me with a sheepish look in his eyes, almost like he was too afraid to talk to me and his accent, it reminded me of the South and a twang to it.

"Yes." I said aloud in almost a squint of pain, he then smiled and walked over to look at my hand without touching it with his fingers that were placed on the table now.

"Lieutenant Winters told me that you got burned?" He asked me to make sure he got it right. The way he talked, it wasn't casual at all, more formal really. I could see he too was someone who was shy, not bold like the others or laid back. He looked stiff in his stance as he looked from my hand over to me with his dark eyes.

"The tank was still hot and the steam got to me." I explained as he nodded and then opened his satchel that he had over his shoulder and was hanging on his hip. He placed it on the table and opened it, digging through as I looked in wonder as he seemed like he knew what he was doing when he grabbed ointment and some gauze.

"Happened to me once, back at home in Louisiana." He explained to me as he got the ointment on his fingers and then grasped my wrist with his spare hand, carefully placing the ointment on my burned skin and I squinted in pain, "Sorry."

"It's fine," I said to him as he placed a new more dabs on my skin nice and slowly, "You're from Louisiana?"

"My whole life, never been anywhere else." He explained to me, his accent as cutting into the room nice and thick. I grinned, though the pain of the ointment was still there, but I tried to mask it as much as possible since it looked like when he brought me pain, he was in pain himself. After he got a good amount on, he got the gauze ready to wrap around my hand and skin.

"What happened?" I asked him, seeing him pause with his work on me before I kept talking, "You said it happened to you before…"

"Oh, I burned my arm a bit when I was a kid. I stood too close to the steam coming from my mom's pan and it got me on the elbow." He explained to me bluntly as he got the gauze on my skin and it felt cool against the burning that was faintly going away. The way he was working on my hand was like he has done this before plenty of times, with precision and with no falter or weary moves. It made me eye him as he was still examining my hand while he was wrapping it.

"You've done this before the war, working with Medicine?" I asked him in a curious fashion as he was about to be finished with my hand.

"Not once, they assigned me to be the medic when I was sworn in." He replied, having me go into a bit of shock since it seemed like he's bene doing this for years, yet he was known to the concept of medicine. I was surprised to say the least, but then again I didn't think he would want to hear something like that coming from me.

"Well, you're doing a great job." I said to him kindly, watching him eye me now and a small smile was on his lips. He had the genuine smile, a bit on the scared side really since the other smiles I have seen at Camp Toccoa were wide and bold, This young medic looked more sky and reserved, almost like he was careful to let someone in his life. Hell, he reminded me or myself really. No wonder why I liked him, we were both just the same really.

"What's your name?" I asked him with a small smile on my own lips.

"Roe, Eugene Roe." He said to me, making me place out my other hand for him to shake because my injured hand that was wrapped up was still propped on the table. It was nice to know that I was not the only shy person in this entire camp. I could tell he was not open to meeting a lot of people at one time, and it felt like we were, in fact, kindred spirits. He then shook my hand, the small smile that lit his face was still for me to see and brought back another round of peace for me that day.

"Nice to meet you, Eugene Roe."


	5. Chapter 5

"How's the burn?" Betty asked me as we were walking over to get to work in the bunker that day, my tool bag in hand and my other hand still out in the open for it to heal. It's been two days since I burned my hand with the jeep, yet since then I've been more careful with the jeeps I have been handling. When I got my hand injured, it was more like a tall tale, or a cautionary tell to be fair, with the other mechanics on how to handle and take care of yourself when working on a jeep. But once again, the others are making sure I was okay and yet it felt like my own ego was punched. Still, better him than me.

"It's about to heal completely." I said to her with a voice of confidence as I placed the tools on the top of the jeep and then seeing Betty smiled as she looked over at me with her own tools in her hand.

"What does George think about the burn?" She pushed it with that one, having me now look up and glare at her and see a sweet grin on her face that she would use to make herself so look innocent not a threat. She knew about George and I talking together, but the way she was suggesting it was like she was thinking we were liking each other more than friends. That was something that I tried real hard not to cross my mind and haunting when I would try to sleep at night. George was creeping up on me, that much was certain, but I was trying not to let it get in the way of my regular job there at the army.

"I didn't tell him since we both were rather busy, but it would be great if you would not say a single word." I advised her, hearing her chuckle and nod her head at me before I could say anything else to her.

"I would say anything, promise. You two are still cute though." She commented to me as she ducked a towel that I was throwing at her. I smiled, liking the fact that Betty and I were acting more like siblings than anything.

"Don't get hurt again! I don't want you to break a hip!" She joked as I stuck my tongue out at her in retaliation now.

"You would like to see that, wouldn't ya?" I asked her coyly as I got the hood open in the jeep for me to start my work, "Trust me, this burn is nothing. I was caught in a few fights once in awhile."

"Really?" She asked me now interest as she was leaning against her own jeep and not sitting up as I was.

"Oh yeah. Working class Irish neighborhoods are pretty reckless if you can't find your way around the fights late in the night. I would help out my Uncles and cousins plenty in bar fights, so I know how to take a lick."

"I never took you as a fighter." She voice, though I shrugged my shoulders then.

"You had to be to get around there, but I never wanted to live that way." I replied back to her without thinking about it really, since back when I was younger and having less responsibility on my hands, I would have to help out in fights much to my father's dismay. He was never too pleased to see his only daughter come home every once in awhile from a bar fight involving one or more of my relatives with a brushed cheek or a bloody lip.

"Well, then again you are a bit of a tough cookie when it comes to dealing with guys." Betty once again commented to me as I grinned at her before I looked over my shoulder to see a couple of the Easy Company boys coming over in our direction. I noticed all of them: Joe Liebgott, Malarky, Bull, Eugene Roe and of course George Luz there too. I had no idea what they were doing here in the bunker since I could have sworn they had some kind of training to do anyways that day with their ever so kind and gentle Captain Sobel. But once they were close enough, I could see the look of determination in George's eyes like he was on a mission of some sort and he was making a beeline towards me.

"What happened?" He asked, almost sounding a bit pissed really when he said it. I was about to ask what he meant, but when he was close enough he aimed down and grabbed my hand that was still trying to recover and he held it within his own two hands. I had no idea how he heard since I doubted Eugene would go off and grab the next person about happened to me.

"George, come on it's nothing to worry about." I tried to reason with him and pull my hand away at the same time, but he still had a bit of grip on my wrist and I knew I wannest going to go anywhere really. I rolled my eyes as he was looking at the wound like he was the medic.

"How did it happen?" He asked me, now making eyes at me like he was the concerned boyfriend or something. It felt like it to me, though I just sighed in frustration with all the attention he was giving me and the others were watching too.

"It's a steam burn, George." I reassured him stiffly now as I got my hand away from and held it close to my chest now from the pressure I was feeling with his fingers on my skin. It wasn't that I hated what he did and how he was acting towards me, but it was how he was making it a bigger deal than it was. More of an annoyance than anything.

"How did you find out about that anyways?" Betty asked him in curiosity as she walked over to where I was next to the jeep, leaning against it casually and raising an eyebrow at the boys there. I did the same thing, but I was mostly focused on George and how he was looking concerned at me then with my damaged hand.

"Lieutenant Winters told us this morning since he was too busy to tell us earlier," Joe explained to the both of us, "Aa soon as he got the word, Luz came runnin'."

"And we came to make sure he didn't make an ass out of himself, but apparently we were too late for that." Bull said in a low tone to us now and a small smile on his face as George gave him a look of annoyance. He was being called out on being too much of an ass in front of me since he was a bit concerned about my hand. I just smirked at George, shoving him slightly to get his attention back over at me.

"It's just a steam burn, it's nothing too bad that I can't handle." I said to him in a but if a cooler level now instead of biting his head off from being too careful and worried about me. He eyed me to make sure what I was saying was enough for him to get by with this whole thing. I would never really think of him as someone.

"And besides, we wanted to tell you something else too," Malarky said in more of a cautious way, though his eyes were no George to see if he was going to say or doing anything else with me that was going to show his protective side. George stayed silent though, not saying a word as I was looking at every member of Easy there in the bunker. Something was up with al of them, I could see it on their faces.

"We're moving out from Camp Toccoa." Joe said aloud, having me feel a bit of a taken back from what he told me. Why are they going to be leaving Camp Toccoa? I knew this was going to come sometime in the future since they wouldn't have to stay there forever all because of the war, but then again I wished I would have had some kind of warning since this was giving me some of shock to drink in Even the way Joe sounded and he told me, it was almost like the blow to the stomach really. But I just kept my eyes locked on George since I could tell he was trying to not too all butt hurt about it.

"Well, that's good to hear, that means they don't need to train you anymore, right?" I asked with some hope in my tone of voice. I was happy for them, I really was. But why did it feel like I wanted to jump off a bridge since they were no longer going to be around for me to see on a daily basis.

"They're shipping us out to Fort Benning to get our wings." Bull explained to me with his casual manner and I gave him a small smile to show that I approved of what I was hearing, but it was still a bit painful to hear.

"You're gonna be great paratroopers, I can feel it." I said to them all in reassurance and in faith as I placed my hands carefully on the top of the jeep to have hem be somewhere, anywhere that was not close to George. I could tell he wanted to say something to me about the news though now we were interrupted by someone calling out to the boys out in the distance.

"Easy, move out for a run-up Currahee!" It was Sobel, and he was looking right in our direction since he could see some of his men there in the bunker. Joe rolled his eyes in frustration as the others looked more pissed than ever,

"Son of a bitch." Joe grumbled in a bitter manner as the others moved away from Betty and I to go back to their leader that they clearly hated. But George and Roe stayed behind, Roe looking at me with his dark eyes and then pointing to my wounded hand with the wrapping still there.

"I'll come by when we're done and rewrap that for you." Roe said to me in a small tone, still sheepish like when we spoke before when he fixed my hand. I smiled and nodded at Roe, who turned on his heel to follow the others. George stayed behind as the others walked off back onto the main pavement and across the field.

"When do you ship out for Fort Benning?" I asked George in curiosity as he looked up and over at me, no longer on my injured hand now.

"Two days, tomorrow's our last day here." he replied back to me smoothly, having me smile at him and show some lightness there on my face more than anything really.

"So that means we have one more day to quiz each other no more movies, right?" I asked him in hope. He slowly stared at me in the eyes now, a small smile was back on his lips and I could tell I was bringing him back to being light again instead of being hesitant. Did he not like that fact that we might be separated? I could consider him a friend now really since we would talk to each other all the time whenever we had free time with each other, having me learn about his family and him learning more about my brother and my daughter. We were close now, so I would think he would have to be hurting from hearing the news that we wouldn't be around to be with each other anymore.

But did that mean that he was having feelings for me as more than a friend? That would be one hell of a long shot for me to get my head around. Even though we were around the same age and I was no real spinster with a child to take care of, I was still in hopes that something could happen between the both of us since it has been awhile since something happened to me like this.

"You can count on that, Adaline." He replied with the smile back on his face. I was glad to bring him back to his normal self again from just once simple sentence, and yet I was still feeling some kind of pain there from knowing that we weren't going to be together as friends. Who was I to damper in something like that? I had to have hope within our friendship that we could make this good for the both of us, and the last thing I wanted to do was make it look like I was a teenager who was about to have her own heart broken.

What in the hell was wrong with me?

* * *

"The rest of the day is going to go as planned: fix up the rest of the broken down jeeps that they sent us and then we will go over plane patience protocols." We were sitting in another meeting that was being conducted in our bunker the next morning, and I was sitting with the other girls on the hood of one of our jeeps that we were training on. This was the last day that George was going to be there with the Easy men in Camp Toccoa, and I was trying to concentrate on the meeting when all I was thinking about was how I was going to say goodbye to George. I doubted we would run unto each other again since he would be off fighting and I would be fixing more jeep yet again. Why would I be freaking out about this really? Why was this a main issue for me?

"I got some news from Headquarters here, directly from Colonel Sink." I perked up when our head Mechanic told us the news. Some of us looked confused as he kept talking with a new slip of paper in his hand.

"Effective immediately, the following mechanics will be shipped out and transferred to other bases along the East Coast to help out on the war front with more jeeps, planes and other vehicles that are needed." He read the letter like it was some kind of lecture, but now all of us mechanics were getting squirmy in our seats now. Were we being moved around? Not staying in once place? Why was that even a huge issue now to not only move the soldiers around, but now the mechanics?

"Dakota, James..you're head to fort Meyers in Florida. Perkins, David..you'll be in Camp Barkley in Texas…" He read off some of the names and camps of those who are moving around and those who were going to be staying behind there at Camp Toccoa. As he was going down the list of names, I wonder if I too was going to be switched to another place or staying put in my spot. If I was going to move, that meant being farther away from Beth and having it be more stressful for me to get in contact with her. But then again, it could mean a better opportunity for me to be better in my life as a mechanic.

"O'Malley, Adaline….Fort Benning wit work alongside Easy Company." I was in shocked when he mentioned where I was going. But the shock was good since that meant I was going to stay with the friends that I made in Easy. Most importantly, since my heart was still a bit tender and warm about the subject at hand, I was going to stay around with Luz.

Hooray for me.

* * *

"She's over there, come on she has something to tell you." I heard Betty as she was not pulling George by his sleeve over to where I was, which was back at the bunker near one of the model planes we were about to send overseas to be used in the war. It was later that day, after I got the news from the head mechanics and Betty got the bright idea for me to tell George that I was going to be traveling with the Easy Company boys and working alongside with them. I was still too shy to talk about it too much to anyone else, but now it was about to be intense for me to get through since she was dragging him practically into the bunker and he had no clue what was going on. Once he made eye contact with me, Betty released him and he jogged over with a huff on his lips and Betty smirking as she stayed behind to give us space.

"Hey, what's going on? Betty told me to talk to you." He said to me with curiosity in his tone. I eyed Betty who was walking away at the same time, giving me a great grin on her face as she saw what was going on between the two of us. I just smiled at her back, not saying a word as he walked away with a small wave on her fingertips. Once she was out of the way and I was left with George there in front of me, I just smiled at George now and I saw him still staring at me.

"I was called to move to another station," I said to him, though he looked a bit confused since it was supposed to be a good thing with a smiling Betty luring him to the bunker.

"Another station…what like a transfer?" He asked me since he was not getting the clue that I was leaving for him really. My smile grew as I wiggled my fingers a bit.

"A transfer to Fort Benning." I said to him finally, having me see the lightbulb go off in his head and the smile was back on his face and he looked so young and free again. I felt the warmth soaring through me from seeing that smile back there that made me drawn to him already. He then rushed over within one step and hugged me, wrapping his arms around me and having me almost lose my sense of balance from the movement of it all, coming out of nowhere really. I had no other choice but to place my arms around his neck as he was practically swinging me around in the bunk in pure joy and satisfaction.

"George, you better put me down before I puke." I said to him in almost a gasp as he was still swinging me around in his arms. I wasn't mad at that I was there in his arms, happier than anything, But I didn't want to vomit on him to show how happy I was about the whole situation with me. George reluctantly placed me back on the floor now, but his grin was so big that I could almost see all of his teeth there as he was still keeping me close enough to him where he was. I only wanted to know now what he was thinking and what was going on in his head.

"You get to come with us?!" He asked, almost sounding like Beth when I would surprise her a trip to the park or even to go get ice cream. It made me just have affection for him more.

"I get to work with you boys in Easy actually as one of your drivers." I explained to him.

"This is great, beyond great! You know what this means?" He asked me in almost a coy manner, having me raise my eyebrow at him now since he was once again up to one of his old tricks.

"Not really, no." I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.

"It means, that you can be an Easy member, one of us!" He answered me with glee in his tone.

"Oh, come on George, I'm just gonna be a driver." I tried to reassure him, but he just shook his head from me trying to make it less of a momental event really.

"Not how I see it, or any of the other guys who like you." He commented to me though now I was a bit surprised that he brought up the others.

"They like me?" I asked almost sheepishly, though George nodded his head with enthusiasm there on his face and how his hands were close enough to touch my own hands, even with my own head hoping that he would touch my hand with his own.

"Of course they do. After they met you the other day, they think you're a swell kind of gal." He said with confidence to me, having me have a small swell of satisfaction go through me from the thought of the rest of the guys from Easy. I had to think that I was not going to be liked by certain people, but those guys were so different yet all alike at the same time.

"You didn't…tell them about Beth…did you?" I asked since now that would be another great problem to try and get over: the boy knowing that I was a mother and then partially not liking me anymore. It was already nerve-wracking enough to tell George and think he was going to reject me, now I had to worry about the whole damn Company. But as soon as I asked that, George shook his head and the smile was gone from his face.

"God no, I wouldn't say something like that to them…though I doubt they would care…" He trailed off when he saw me give him a bit of a shocked look on his face.

"But that's not the point! I didn't say anything to them about Beth, that's for you to do if you want to." He reassured me, placing his hands on my arms to both soothe me and have me concentrate on him really, "I think the guy are just glad to have you in the Company with us."

"What about your Captain, I'm sure he's pleased as punch to have a girl in his Company." I stated another obstacle that could be in the way really.

"Oh please, he can't handle anything too major! Besides, I thought you were part of the Air Force." he said to me in almost a challenged manner, and on again I was stumped on what he was saying.

"Meaning?" I asked, seeing the small grin back on his face.

"Meaning, you don't take orders from anyone else from those in the Air Force, right?" He asked to make it clear, and then it was my turn to have the lightbulb go off in my own head. I knew what he meant, it was what Colonel Sink was talking about when he told me what he wanted me to do now with Easy. I was going to be part of the Company for certain.

But I wouldn't take orders from Sobel. Not one.

* * *

**Fort Benning, Georgia**

On the same day that the boys in Easy Company were going to be getting their wings, was the same exact day that I grew a spine and talked back to an officer. It wasn't that I wanted to though I really did. But it was more of a matter that I felt like I was being back in a corner and he had no right to talk to me in such a manner. It was the most nerve-racking I felt in front of a bunch of men, but then again most things to me were nerve-wracking.

This was merely an act of survival.

"O'Malley." I was called out by Sobel himself as he was about to go with the rest of Easy Company men to the planes to have their jump in order to get their wings. I myself was off to go and test drive one of the planes we were going to use to shuttle the men over their target area to jump, and I was going to be training with some of the other pilots they hired for the jump. I already did my jobs for the jeep driving that day, so I was a bit surprised that I was being called out by him and he walked over to me with a stride in his step.

The other boys in Easy stopped walking as they saw me being approached by Sobel, and with what I was seeing in the book of his eye, this was not going to be a great conversation.

"Sir." I said to him calmly.

"I have been told that you were slacking in your efforts with preparations for my men and the upcoming battle that have to do against the Germans." He said to me in a cool tone though I was digging my heels in now and eye him as he was towering over me.

"How so?" I asked him casually though I stood my ground in front of him.

"Their equipment is up to par with the military code that is standard, not to mention the lack of repairs on the jeeps and vehicles we were using for training." He explained to me with a bitterness in his tone, as if he was trying to drag me down lower than I should be dragged. I knew what he was doing, I could see it from afar really as the others in Easy were watching me from afar. Their eyes were big in worry, especially George who looked rather pissed at what he was seeing.

"Clearly that cannot be my fault, sir since I am not at full responsibility for what happens to your equipment for your men." I reminded him with a boldness in my own tone of voice. He eyes me then, a small smirk on his lips since he thought he was going to drag me into a trap.

"Are you talking back to me?" he asked me, his voice was getting a bit bolder and louder now. I only knew he was doing since it felt like he was on some kind of power trip there in front of me, and he thought he was going to win.

"I'm talking to you as one soldier to another, not back at you. I would suggested you reevaluate your own hearing before you jump to that conclusion." I said to him calmly though now he looked beyond angry now since I was still talking to him not as a captain but as someone else who was a big pain in the ass.

"I would hope that you change your tune before you talk about to a Captain like that again, O'Malley." He said in a warning, taking one step closer to me now and was getting far too close for my liking. I saw George behind Sobel, and he looked furious as well as some of the others who were watching the whole time. But this time, I was not going to be shy about him anymore really. This Sobel guy pushed it one too far now with me as I glared at him now.

"I don't take orders from you, Captain," I said his title in such a low tone that he looked at me in shock now, "I may have your Easy Company patch on my sleeve, but I am still under the orders of the Air Force, not you. So you don't any right to talk to me in such a way. If you talk to me in such a manner that is out of the conduct of the Air Force, I can report to my own officer about your treatment with me and he will talk to you personally." He was floored in how I addressed him, and not one of us made a single move there in the open field. I was not going to let myself to taken advantage of there in front of some asshole of a Sobel and smile about it. I've seen jerks like him in both bars and out on the street, and he was no different than any of them. So I just turned my heel and walked away from him now without looking back at him once.

"I'll have you reported for this!" He yelled out at me in desperation. I just turned around on more time, facing him and seeing the hate on his face now.

"It's gonna do you no good for reporting against a female, sir." I said to him with a bite as I said Sir to him, then walking away from him once again and over to my own plane now without even looking back once. I never knew where that came from, the act of lashing out against a Captain and talking back to him. But then again, being around these soldiers long enough, I was now growing a spine again.

All thanks to Easy.


	6. Chapter 6

The roar of the plane I was in was shaking the whole plane all over now as I was flying the soldiers over the spot on the ground where they were going to drop in and land for their wings and their paratrooper training. I had the men from Dog Company in my own plane as they too there getting their wings that day out there on the field. Easy was on another plane in another section of the training grounds, and after them seeing me chewing out Sobel in front of them, I only wondered what they were thinking about and how they were viewing me now. I only wanted to get by now, and with my flying the planes at Fort Benning and helping with the training, it was going to be more of a hassle for me to just get by in the day without having a target on my back.

I switched on the red light since we were in the jump zone, the men behind me getting up in their lines and then checking each other before they were being yelled at by their captain. I was keeping the plane smooth though the fly over the jump zone as each man was jumping out and soaring towards the earth. But as I was flying the plane, feeling the vibrations in my hands and my headpiece that I was wearing was buzzing from the feed of nothing happening on the other end of it, I remembered the memory of my father and I flying in one of his planes when I was so young, maybe 4 or 5 years old and I was small enough to sit in his lap. Everything seemed brighter when I was that younger, the greens of the trees and the blue of the sky. My father was a great pilot, he knew how to fly the plane and made it smooth enough for me to think we were coasting along the top of the water. There was a moment that I was afraid when the plane was rocky for a moment and I thought we were going to crash. My father, placing a protective arm around my middle and holding me close to his body and whispered one thing to me that I never once forgot in my life.

_"Don't be afraid. We're part of the sky now, and nothing can touch us while we're up here."_

I swung around to head back to the landing strip since the rest of the boys already hopped out of the plane and landed safely now.

"O'Malley in C-130, you copy?" A voice was heard in my headpiece, having me flip on the switch on to have me talk to the other end since they were on the floor now.

"This is O'Malley," I said into the piece as I was making a small turn over to the left and getting myself lower.

"The men take off safely?" He asked me, having me smile.

"Yes sir, all soldiers were deployed out of the plane as planned. Dog Company hass completed their jump." I reported back in the piece as I could see Fort Benning back in front of me with the view beyond my glass.

"Well done, O'Malley. Bring it back to the strip, you did good work today." I smiled at the compliment there that I heard, and something else drew my eyes over to what was on my dashboard there, a small picture that I placed for me to see every once in awhile and remind myself of why I was doing all of this, always a reminder for me since sometimes I would tend to forget. There she was: smiling at me in the small picture and having me feel the same ache within my own chest again from not being able to see her for such a long time.

Beth. My Sweet Beth.

* * *

There was a rapid knock at the door now of my cabin, though I was already done talking to Beth for the day on the phone and then writing her a letter that was also addressed to Aaron, thinking that I was going to have just one regular night of having my alone time. After landing the plane earlier that day and getting to see some of the other men congratulate each other on getting their wings and passing their practice jump. Although I was glad that they all passed, I didn't get to see Easy since they already were done and were probably celebrating on their own. I wanted to find them really, mostly George maybe Eugene, hoping to ask them in how they did and if they were happy they passed.

"I don't think this is the right cabin." I heard Bull's voice behind my door as I perked up some more, wondering why he was there at my front door of my cabin in the first place. It made me wonder as I walked over to the front door, still in my coveralls and my hair was still looking like a mess because of the headpiece that I was wearing for quite some time.

"She's the only goddamn Air Force attendee here at Fort Benning, I don't think we missed her cabin too much." It was another voice, sounding like Liebgott as I got my hand on the door and opened it. Of course, it was Bull and Liebgott there, but they were standing at my front door of my cabin in their dress clothes like they were about to go to some kind of formal event. I was surprised to see them in those clothes since they looked more sophisticated than they did before. Now It was all about how they talked and how gruff they still sounded.

"Told you we were in the right place." Joe commented to Bull as Bull just smiled at me in his dress clothes, "We're off to a party that they threw for us getting our wings."

"Congratulations on that, by the way. And don't you boys look like you're going to a great party." I commented back to the both of them. Joe just grinned at me, the same small smirk he had when we first met that showed how he was just fine with the way he is.

"Yeah, I know that much already." Joe replied back smoothly with a smirk on his face and Bull playfully shoved him a but to knock off his attitude.

"Way to be a gentleman, Liebgott," Bull said to him in his low accent manner and then looking right back at me with his own smile there on his face, "We wanted to come by and get you to come with us." I stayed silent, my eyes going big from hearing him tell me this and how they both were waiting there in front of my front door casually. It didn't sound like a place I should be at really since I was mostly a pilot and driver, not a soldier like them.

"You want me to come? Really?" I asked, sounding more surprised than I thought I would.

"Hell yeah we do, you're an Easy member aren't ya?" Joe asked me as he leaned against the door frame with his shoulder.

"I guess so." I replied back with a shrug of my own shoulders since he did have some kind of a point.

"Admit it, you're an Easy member like the rest of us. Roe is asking for you since he's not really into talking with anyone else around. Besides, we saw you yell at Captain Sobel earlier today before we went for our jump." Bull explained, and now I felt the hot that of judgment on my face then as they both looked right at me when Sobel was brought into the conversation.

"You guys saw that?" I asked now more in a tentative manner since I never wanted to have that kind of judgment on me and to be seen as someone who flew off the handle.

"All of Easy did, and boy were we beyond happy." Joe added in, having my eyes shoot to him now at a rapid pace.

"You kidding me?" I asked with more of a skeptical manner now.

"We've been waiting for a bit for someone to rip in a new one with that bastard, and thank God you did. Hell, you've made out whole day a bit better after watching that," Joe answered me with a wide grin back on his face, "Which is why we want you to come out and celebrate with us tonight."

"You deserve a stiff drink, or at least a beer." Bull added and I smile slightly at how they both were being so kind to me and wanting me to be with them and part of their group. It felt nice really, since I had to leave Betty and the others grill behind in Camp Toccoa, and I didn't really want to go to another place with no real friends around to talk to and get the day to go by with less of an outcast feel to it.

"I can come," I said to them both, having me see the both of them break out into a huge smile and then Joe eyeing me up and down with a curious look about it. It wasn't of judgment, but just of a curious way he was watching me now.

"You outta change though." He said in a comment, having me also look down see what I was wearing: my dirty coveralls with messy hair and dirt under my nails. I cringed a bit from what I was seeing since it looked like I was not going to be giving a good first impression really. Joe spoke up one more time with a question on his lips:

"Did they give ya any dress clothes from the Air Force?"

* * *

This was an element that I was not used to, not for awhile really since I met Aaron and we got married. We really stopped going out with our friends, or least stopped going out constantly though we kept our friends and stayed in contact with them. But now, it was like I was back at one of the bars that were in Boston, all filled with young men and beers in their hands and laughter being heard from their lips. And there I was, the only Air Force member in the entire bar that was decorated for the now paratroopers and their success in making their first jump.

I could hear some swing music from one of the gramophones that were set up, and most of the men that were at the bar were either from Easy or Dog Company. It was good to see some familiar faces there. One of them brought me a great sense of peace, the small sheltered and yet the kind face of Eugene Roe. He was standing near the bar, by himself really with his own dress clothes on and a shyness about him. It made me grin that I recognized him there though the others were too busy talking to each other for them to see me as I weaved my way through the crowd and over to where he was.

"Eugene." I called to him over the small enough roar of the men talking to each other. He heard me call out to him, perking up instantly and looking around for a mere second before we looked eyes and a small broke out on his face for me to see. I could tell he was out of his element yet he didn't want to be out of it completely since I would think the others would want to include him. I joined him near the back of the room and we both grinned at each other. It felt nice to be with another person in the Company who was also just as shy and timid to meet new people.

"Heya Adaline," he said to me in a light tone and still looking a bit out of place there with me in the bar, "They told me that they were going to try and get you to come."

"Well here I am, no thanks to Joe and Bull," I said back to him and hearing him chuckle a bit before he eyes me in my own dress clothes. I had my pen skirt, tights, and low heels along with my Air Force dress jacket and wings were shown there and my hair in a low bun and smoothed back. If I was going to be going to a party where everyone was going to be dressed, I wanted to represent the Air Force right and be proud of where I was going.

"You look good, I think your dress blues suit you." he complimented me with the kindness there on his face and in his voice. I grinned at him, peering down to see how I was put together and then looking at his own dress attire with the jacket and pants and his wings there on his chest.

"Thank You, Eugene, and you look handsome." I gave him a compliment myself, seeing the hint of blush there on his cheeks.

"Thanks, Adaline," He thanked me kindly, then pointing to his beer with his spare hand, "Want me to get you a beer?"

"Oh, please." I said back to him, the both of us walking over to the bar and Eugene signaling the bartender with the small smile on his thin lips. As he was doing this, I spotted another familiar face there by the bar and he smiled at me: Bill Guarnere.

"Heya, look who it is! Glad you could come out and hang with us guys here." He said to me with his thick Philadelphia accent as I beamed at him. I liked that he was both rough around the edges and yet kind to me.

"I'm glad too, I think I needed a break from being in my room the whole day anyways." I commented as Eugene walked back over to me with my beer in hand. I took the glass gently from him as he sipped his own beer.

"Thank you, Eugene." I thanked him as I took a long sip. It's been a good while since I had anything alcoholic, and the sweet yet bitter taste of beer going down the throat almost felt like I was close enough to dying in pure happiness and being ascended to heaven. It wasn't that I was a hard drinker to begin with, but I drank from time to time when I was younger and still a little bit reckless. Though now at that point when I was with Bill and Eugene, I was still testing the waters on how I wanted to be viewed by the others.

"Geez, Adaline. Never took you as a drinker." Bill said with a small smile on his face as he eyed me taking another drink from my own glass.

"No one ever does, really." I joked with him, hearing him chuckle as he then pointed over in the direction of the bunch of men sitting in one long row, talking and having their own drinks together.

"I'm gonna join the boys over there. You two keep occupied, eh?" He asked the both of us before he walked off with his own beer. I grinned at Bill, seeing how he carried himself as he then got to the long bench and table.

"He's a bit of a character, isn't he?" I asked Eugene as I looked back over at him now and seeing him nod in agreement, "How has your medical training been going?"

"Good, still trying to keep up, but it's good." He replied to me, taking a drink from his own beer, "Although it's not as intense as flying a plane."

"Oh goodness, I still get queasy when it comes to being up so high. It's almost like you still being queasy when you see blood, right?" I asked him, and the way he smiled at me almost made me think that he was never really thinking about it too often when it came to training as a medic. I then heard another voice filling the air, having me look around a bit to find the source of the voice, but then again it sounded like whoever was talking was doing some kind of impression.

"Cpl. Toye. There will be no leaning in my company," Eugene and I looked over to see Joe Toye sitting by himself at a table, but he wasn't alone. There was George Luz, walking over to Toye with his two beers in hand and he was eyeing Toye with a glint in his eye. I smiled, since he was voicing Sobel and sounding really close to it.

"Are those dusty jump wings? How do you expect to slay the huns with dust on your jump wings?!" Now I knew he was using the Sobel voice since Toye was rolling his eyes and leaning in George now so they can talk to each other. I haven't seen or talked to George for a bit, and the last time I saw him was when he looked rather heated when Sobel was breathing down my back. He even looked like he was wanting to punch him in the mouth from how Sobel was staring me down and trying to make me feel worthless and not worthy to be an Easy Company member.

"He's some guy, that Luz." Eugene commented to me since we still side by side with each other there by the bar. I wanted to say something else to Eugene to agree, but then again I was tongue tied when George looked over at me and his smile was beyond beaming. He did look handsome in his dress uniform, how he combed his hair and just leaning against the table there and talking to Toye.

"Go over there." Eugene gave me a short nudge with his shoulder, having me whirl around to look at him and see him wink at me once before he walked off to go over to some of the other medics who were talking together. What was he thinking? Did he even have a single clue? I was about to maybe yell at him when Luz finally spoke up to me. This time, when he was speaking before it sounded so light, now he was sounding like he was a bit shocked to see me?

"Hey, Adaline." He said to me, the lightness in his tone and how he was staring at me. I was seeing that he was glad to see me. I had no real reason to move away from him now since we both were smiling at this point and I walked over to where he was with Toye. Toye was smiling at me too, yet his smile was not as big as Luz's as I stood now in front of him, hoping to God that I wasn't going to look like an idiot in front of him because of how I was beaming at him and feeling those butterflies again.

"Heya Adaline, nice threads you got there." Toye said to me in a light tone as he too eyed my attire that I was wearing.

"Thanks, I never thought I would wear this really." I said to in, yet this time Luz piped up now with his own soft tone.

"I like it," It was like be almost blurted it out to me, which made both Toye and I look at him now in a bit of shock from how it sounded, almost desperate that he wanted to make a point. Even the tone he used with me sounded genuine, and I just smiled at him and I could have sworn I blushed madly then.

"Well…thank you George." I said to him kindly, and Toye was smirking at Luz now who was still smiling at me and making me feel like I was frozen in my spot.

"You're welcome." He replied back smoothly to me, the grin that he would always wear with me was still evident on his face.

"I think you should pick up your jaw from hitting the floor there, Luz." Toye commented with a grin there on his own face. Luz instantly looked over at him with a raised eyebrow and a small glare on his face as I took one more drink from my own glass. Since Luz and I became friends and we would interact in front of the others in Easy, it felt like the boys were teasing Luz more than they were teasing me. It was either they knew I was part of the Air Force and that scared them or I was just a girl and that didn't seem like it was in the cards for them. I could hear the music haunting over the room:

_Somebody else is taking my place._

_Somebody else now shares your embrace._

_While I am trying_

_To keep from crying_

_You go around with a smile on your face._

I smiled at hearing the song since it sounded so nice and slow compared to the songs that were heard before. I was too into listening to the song when I felt somebody was taking the beer out of my hand and I looked to see it was Luz who was doing this. Toye was already in another spot in the room, leaving the two of us there as he then grasped my own hand that was once holding my beer and it made me freeze.

"Come on, let's dance for a little bit," He urged me, confidence in his tone as he laced our fingers together before I could even protest. I was tongue tied really, since the last time I ever danced with another guy was Aaron, and that was one of those nights back in our apartment when Beth was already asleep and I was trying to get his mind off of work. Hell, the last time Aaron and I danced was about a week before he died.

"In front of everyone?" I asked him in almost a sheepish manner, yet Luz smiled as he then turned to face me and reached out with his other hand, almost like he was asking permission. I would think that any other guy would just threat into wrapping his arm around me without even asking, But this time it was different, for some reason Luz wanted to make sure that this was okay, what he wanted to do with me. It was a sure sign of being chivalrous and being kind as well when I carefully nodded my head and placed my hand on his shoulder. I shouldn't be nervous since it was just two friends dancing together at a party with nice soft music playing. It would be like any other party where people danced together and acted kind to one another. So how was it that this felt different, and it felt more sensual as George wrapped his arm carefully around my waist, we were so close now and just smiling at each other as we were swaying with the music in the room.

This felt way too different, yet soothing at the same time.

"You're a good dancer, I bet you've practiced." I said to him in an effort to make small talk, George chuckling as he nodded with my remark about him.

"I do have sisters that I practice with, and they have all said that I am a natural." He joked back with me, and at that point I couldn't help but smile as how he was swaying us back and forth, of course leading the dance with us. I should be petrified in how I was dancing with him in a crowded room of men who were all talking together, not one of them were paying attention. It felt better to know that, almost like George and I were in our own little bubble together and just having that sense of comfort with one another. Once again, being this close to him and feeling those small flutters that making me feel a bit fizzy again in the head.

"Did you get to talk to Beth?" George asked me out of pure curiosity.

"Earlier today, before I went up in the plane." I replied, having me see George smile at me from the news.

"She seems like a sweet girl, you know. From all that you've told me about her," He commented, making small talk with me as I grinned from what I was hearing from him.

"She is. But she's been missing me a lot." I added.

"I bet, and you miss her too?" He asked me, more sincerely and with a tilt of his own head as I nodded slowly from the thought of missing my only child.

"I do…I mean, some days are better than others. When I have tough days out here, I think of her more and it kills me that I'm not with her." I explained to him with honesty there, in which I was now giving him a versus giggle. George grinned at me from how I was giggling in front of him, almost like a silly school girl. It felt selfish for me to talk to about Beth with Luz when we should be talking about something else. It wasn't that I hated talking about Beth, but I didn't like having Beth always being the center of my conversation, it would have gotten old after awhile.

"I'm sorry, I feel like I talk about Beth all the time. It's a bit old now, isn't it?" I asked with a nervous grin on my lips, but Luz shook his head and stayed friendly with me while we were still swaying back and forth in the small corner of the bar as the rest of the world was still going by.

"I don't think so," He replied to me.

"Really?" I questioned him.

"Not to me it isn't old. It's nice to hear about her, coming from you of course." He explained to me, having me feel the sudden redness in my cheeks then in how he was voicing it to me. He had no mind of talking about Beth, thought I was thinking about it more like a draining conversation more than anything. We were friends, good friends at this point really, yet I wanted to know more about him and not the other way around.

"Tell me something about you." I encouraged him, seeing him cock an eyebrow at me, "I've been rambling for far too long as it is."

"What would you like to know about me?" He asked with the cockiness and smoothness back there in his voice as we kept going around in small and slow circles. I wondered the same thing, what would I like to know about him. To me, dancing with George there and the both of us being rather close to one another, it kind of felt like a date to me really. It's been awhile since I was on a date, or something like this that was close enough to count as a date. What was I going to ask him that would both be casual and kind at the same time? I had to think simple, which mad me simple since I had the perfect question in my head.

"If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that be?" I asked him, curiosity was laced there in my tone. The look on George's face, he was taken back from what I told him and he even gave a nervous laugh from what I asked him.

"What kind of question is that?" He asked me since he didn't sound offended nor did it sound rude. More curious than anything.

"My dad would ask me that all the time, and apparently he asked my mother that when they went on their first date." I explained to him, seeing him cock his head to the side with intrigue.

"So you think what we are doing is a date?" He asked me, having me now feel a bit of a nervous tick go through me now since he called me out, having me think that this may be our first date really. It felt like it to me really, since I had the butterflies in my stomach from just being this close to him and having a sense of being normal sound him too.

"It kind of feels like it, don't you think?" I asked him back, hoping that he would say yes, more in the back of my head really.

"I don't think so," He replied back, having me grimace a small bit and wonder where he was going with this because of how casual he made it sound, "Because if I were to take you out on a date, it would be much better then us just dancing here in the middle of a crowded bar and with stale beer." I almost stumbled in the middle of our dance with how he worded it, and how serious his eyes got when he was looking right at me.

"You sound so sure of yourself." I commented to him in a lower tone, but it was of shyness and the fact that I was shocked from what he told me, about taking me to a better place for a date. He was still surprising me, in all of our talks and with how we would just smile at each other. It felt like we knew each other for years, beyond years to be really honest about it

"Cheeseburgers." he said to me in such a simple manner. I was too into my own thoughts with how he was talking, almost in a way, in how he would take me out on a proper date to go back to reality and see him watching me now with that small glint of happiness in his eyes.

"Cheeseburgers?" I asked him, repeating that simple word.

"To answer your question, I would eat cheeseburgers for the rest of my life." He said to me. I grinned at him, more questions were being asked and answered as we were just having that moment with ourselves. I could never really pinpoint whether I should consider him serious or a jokester, but he had some kind of good ground right in the middle. It made me reconsider more and more on whether or not I would see him as more than a friend. I valued him as a good friend to have within this time of my life, being away from my daughter and my family was bad enough for me to get through the day. But it was great to know that I had a sincere friend who knew how I worked and how I would think.

But then again, I still had those feelings for them that were really on the borderline of romantic feelings. This was not what I was expecting to feel or experience when I came into the Air Force and then later working with the men in the army. I was only coming to help my daughter and make sure she was never going to have to struggle, but more and more things were coming into my life that I was not ready for.

The one, most importantly, was what I was feeling for Luz.

* * *

**June, 1943**

**Camp Mackall, North Carolina**

I hoped out of one of the trains that we took that was going to take us over to New York. As a new member of Easy Company, I was working with the men more and more now as we were now going to make our way to our new destination, yet we had no idea where we were going to go. Over the months, working on planes and also working alongside the Easy men, things were getting more and more easy for me to get into the swing of things. I was used to the long days, working with hardly any sleep and the army food they were giving us on a daily basis.

I was getting close to some of the men there in Easy. Joe was one of them, learning that he was a lanky boy who grew up in San Francisco with 5 other siblings and having a good heart and yet he was snarky too with others. We would talk about comics since I knew enough to get by since my brother was the comic fan in the family.

Another one that I got close to was Eugene, our medic who was raised in Louisiana and was the other shy one in the bunch of brash men. We both were very close, talking about our families and what we liked to do when we were little. We both grew up in working class families that were small and tight knit.

The others were good to me as friends. However, those two were the closest to me for some reason. Eugene was close to me because of my shyness, and Joe because I was still kind enough to see through his rough exterior.

When it came to Luz, we were getting close and close every time we talked and hung out together. I was still remembering us dancing together back at Fort Benning though now it was more casual between the both of us. We're learned more about each other through the meals we would share with one another, and it was enough for me really.

Once I hopped off in my Air Force dress uniform, my bag in hand, I was walking with Eugene since George was talking with Muck and Malarky in another area of the station. Yet, I was hoping that this would be another regular day with the train. I happened to be standing next to a group of the guys, including Joe and the infamous sass talking Cobb, Shifty and Toye were all sitting together on the floor and with their bags next to them. I so happened to be listening in on the wrong part of that conversation.

"You gotta admit, he's got no chance. Either the Krauts will get him, or one of us." Cobb was saying to the boys as I was rearranging the bag I was holding in my hand and trying not to look like I was listening in to the whole thing.

"Who? Sobel?" Liebgott asked.

"He screwed up one maneuver." Shifty tried to persuade them with more kindness in his voice.

"Ah, you know, I'm always fumbling with grenades…Would be easy if one went off by accident, you know…" Liebogtt said in such a casual manner, having me grip the bag a bit harder from what I was hearing.

"Well, they must have put him in charge for a reason." Shifty said to the group of them, but from what I was seeing, they weren't going to have it at all.

"Yeah, 'cause the Army wouldn't make a mistake, right Shift?" Liebgott asked him with the gruff back in his tone. It broke my heart a bit to hear the bitterness in Joe's tone since I considered him a friend of mine now and I knew how he felt about their Captain. I even caught the eye of Cartwood Lipton, who overheard the conversation too and he walked away with a sadness there on his face. Even though I had no real say in Easy Company since I was still an add-on from the Air Force, I could sense that this could lead to trouble.

I only wished trouble was never to come anywhere near my Easy boys.


	7. Chapter 7

"Try with this hand." I was trying to teach Dick Winters another way to play poker since we both were sitting in the same area now on the train on our way over to New York. We still had no clue where ew were going, yet we were all sitting on pins and needles as to where they were going to send us. With me, I had a small hint that they were going to send me over to England to help out with the other pilots there, while I was still working with Easy Company and being one of their main drivers. If I was going to go to England, that would eventually mean that I would have no clear idea when I would be able to see Beth again. It was going to be harder than ever to just get through the day without being able to talk to her every once in awhile. I had to find a way to make it work and make it bearable for me really.

"How did you learn how to play like this?" Winters asked me as we were playing our round and sitting across from each other.

"My brother mostly, along with some of his friends. You tend to have the greatest times in a tavern and cheap beer," I explained to him as I was looking at my own hand. Poor Winters, he wasn't sitting too well with this new set of poker rules I was giving him. But then again we were just having a good times talking to one another, given that the last time we were together I almost burned my whole hand and he whisked me away to the medical cabin. All I knew from him before we got on the train was that he was a 1st lieutenant, came from Pennsylvania, and he grew up in some kind of farm life none the less.

"You grew up in a tavern and you fly planes, there's more to you than meets the eye." He commented to me as he was analyzing his own cards and I grinned at him.

"I'm not one for playing it safe really," I said to him as we both grew into another moment or two in silence. We looked a teach other one more time before I placed my hand in front of him, the cards facing up on the table now as Winters looked too.

"Sorry, Dick." I said to him sweetly, watching him groan and throw down his cards now in defeat but still have a small smile on his face. He didn't look too broken hearted about it, nor did he seem sour about the whole thing too when I grabbed all of the cards to shuffle them again.

"You heard from your family as of late?" Dick asked me casually from across from me.

"I spoke to them on the phone before we got on the plane." I explained.

"You never told me too much about your family," Dick informed me, which did have me pause for a brief moment considering that he sounded very intrigued about knowing more about my family.

"What would you like to know about my family?" I asked him in a causal yet careful way. But Dick only smiled, showing real no sense of harm or work for me to think about.

"Anything you wanna share with me really. You have any siblings?" He asked me in curiosity as he leaned in a bit, showing he was naturally curious about it and wanting to know more about me.

"I have one brother. Older brother, who's a professor at a University." I explained, "And I have my mom and dad, and also…my daughter." After I told him about my daughter, I could see his eyes going a bit brighter, but only slightly and now all the way huge like I thought he would. It was almost the same thing as Luz, Dick was drinking in that fact that I was a mother. But with Dick, he didn't look too shellshocked like Luz did. Dick looked more relaxed about the news, which was making me more shocked than anything.

"You have a daughter?" He asked, intrigue was in his voice along with a small hint go happiness there. I couldn't help but smile from how he sounded.

"Her name is Beth, she's three now, going on four in October." I explained to him lightly, a grin was back on his face and it felt more at ease with our conversation.

"I didn't think you were married." he commented to me, having me grimace slightly.

"I'm not, actually…my husband died about a couple of months after she was born. Car accident." I explained to him with more hesitance then and I could see his smile falter a bit, like he was the one who was hurt about what he heard. It was always awkward to tell someone that you were a widow, since I doubt it was a normal thing to be a widow with a 3 year old child that you left behind to got to war.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Adaline. I shouldn't have asked." He said in almost a mourning kind of way. I shook my head, since that last thing I really wanted was another person to feel and for me when I did nothing wrong to be completely hones and fair about it. I did not want to be seen as someone's pity party and as someone's excuse to feel sad.

"I really don't mind talking about it. It's better to talk about than to wallow in it." I explained to him more with some boldness back in my tone. I remembered my mother telling me the same thing the day of my late husband's funeral. I could remember the day clearly, the both of us dressed in black and my mother had Beth swaddled in her arms as I was weeping from coming from his wake. She looked at me directly in the eye then, the stern look of a mother but then again the kinds there since she could somehow feel my sense of lost and pain.

_"Adaline, it will be better for you to talk about it then to wallow it in."_ She said to me as I was eying my infant daughter there in her arms, asleep and looking more soothed than ever. I was back in the present when I reached into my jacket pocket to pull out the latest picture my brother sent me os Beth. She got bigger since I saw her last, taller and her hair was now longer than ever. In this picture, she was wearing her overalls and shirt and she was helping her grandmother, my mother, in the garden.

"Here she is." I said to him as I passed the picture over to him now, seeing him hold it within his fingers and smile from seeing my young girl there.

"She beautiful, Adaline. You should be proud of her." Dick commented to me with that sincere tone in his voice when he handed me the picture again. I grinned from his remark to me, still looking at the picture myself and how she was grinning in the picture with her grandmother next to her.

"I am, though it pains me sometimes that I'm not with her all the time." I admitted to him now with a small bitterness there in my tone.

"I would be too if I had to leave my child behind." Winters agreed with me.

"But she's in good hands. She reminds me a lot of her father really, very adventurous and bold. That's nothing like me." I explained in a chuckle now, just think gin about her and how she was really like Adam in how he acted and how he spoke. She was beyond bold, sometimes too bold for me to deal with, but she was also the one who want to go on plenty of adventures and be a daredevil.

"Well you have to some kind of bravery to be part of the Air Force, let alone being one of the only females in the Air Force. I bet you anything she is proud of you." Dick reminded me, and hearing it from him was enough for me to smile at him. I was placing the photograph back in my jacket pocket when I heard a knock on the seat where I was in, above me on the wood. I looked up and over, having to crane my neck to see who it was, and I saw it was a new member of the officers for Easy. He was transferred in before we got on the train. He was a bit older then me, though he still looked younger in the face really with short curly light hair and bright blue eyes that were twinkling with youth and a grin to show for it.

"Ah, Harry. You need a seat?" Dick asked him as he moved the table between us out of the way, folding it up and placing it once again against the wall.

"If that's not too much trouble, rather sit back here with you than with the privates up front who aren't really too keen on meeting a newbie." He said in a grunt as he shuffled his way past me and over to sit back next to Dick and sit down with a casual manner to him. He leaned back in his seat, making eyes with me and then grinning without showing any of his teeth.

"You the Air Force Pilot the other guys are talking about?" He asked me casually, though he seemed gentle enough to be talking to me and not scaring me.

"I am, Adaline O'Malley." I traduced myself to him, holding out my hand for him to shake. He shook it without hesitation.

"Harry Welsh, good to meet you Adaline. Dick here told me as soon as I came in that we had a Air Force pilot in our Easy Company." He explained to me as we realized hands and he sat back in his seat and Dick nodded.

"Sink wants to use her as one of our drivers mostly, I think he's still skeptical of her being one of the pilots." Dick explained to him as I shifted in my seat and the cards were still in my hand.

"Oh yeah, the buzz is that the women in the WASP program will be doing some action over in the war in Europe," Harry added into the conversation as he folded his hands on his lap and crosse his legs to get himself more comfortable there in his seat.

"Hopefully I won't be doing a whole lot of fighting from a plane." I reassured him with my own shrug of the shoulders.

"Unlikely if Colonel Sink has any say in it." Dick added with a bit of bitterness to it really, having me feel a bit of a grimace come though me from how he made it sound. Harry eyed me with a eye cocked, not clearly understanding what was going on and why that was said.

"Sink won't use you as a pilot? Wow, that's saddening." He replied in a amused tone. It could be amusing if you see it from that angle, having someone who clearly knew how to fly a plane and get through the air with ease was not going to be used for that, only for dirking jeeps and anything she can get her hands on. It almost felt like a tug of war, where I was supposed to be and where I wanted to be.

"Trust me, I don't get it either." Dick commented to him since I was just trying to get over it myself and not make it a bigger deal than it already was, "She is a good driver though, I saw her get around in a jeep once when we were back in Toccoa, one of the best drivers in a jeep I have ever seen."

"No shit." Harry said in a grin.

"She can put the other drivers to shame, not that Sobel appreciates that really." Dick explained, which was my cue to finally speak up about the whole conversation at hand and how it was progressing between the two of them now like I wasn't even there sitting with them.

"Okay, thank you for trying to make me feel better about all of that, but I wouldn't really want to get on Sobel's bad side again." I said to the both of them almost like a warning.

"Fair enough, sorry about that Adaline." Dick apologized to me as he saw the hesitant look I was giving the both of them, and even Harry looked a bit more hesitant now than he did before.

"Wait, Sobel has more sides than bad?" Harry asked us in a sarcastic manner, the three of us now breaking out into grins and it felt light again there in our spot on the train. It was nice to get to know the officers a bit more than I did before, and they were trusting me as one of their one instead of add-on from the Air Force.

* * *

**September 18th, 1943**

**Aldbourne, England**

"These planes here, are going to be the ones we are going to be using to carry our men over the target and having them jump. They are made with the latest technology to hold more than a dozen men, and to withistand any ariel attack that could be coming our way." I was sitting in on a lecture with some of the other pilots, but American and British, that was talking about the planes we were going to practice and fly in.

After we landed in England, I was whisked off to have both training in driving the jeeps that were there, learning road maps that we would use, and some some aspects of fighting that may come in handy in the near future. It was a bit of a shock that I was going to learn how to both shoot and handle a gun, only excuse it would seem more dangerous for me to drive around in a jeep than for me to be on a plane. They knew I had to prepare myself for anything that would come my way.

"Some of you will be working with the American and British Companies personally, since I was already notified. Today we are going to be going over the European maps and our lane maneuverings in the sky. Some of you are qualified to fly our fighter planes, and other our planes for storages and dropping off rations in certain areas. We are going to need both for the long haul." Our British flight officer was explaining to us as we were sitting in our rows of chairs underneath one of the tents that was set up. The rest of the boys in Easy were going over combat training, gun control, and hand to hand combat. I had my own hand than combat with the rest of the pilots, and it was still shocking to me that I was training to be a pilot and also a driver at the same time.

Throughout the days that we had there in our makeshift training camp, I would have no real time to be with the guys and hang out with them, though we had plenty of times to do that on the ship on our way over here. I would play plenty of card games, some books that the other guys would have, and there best of the time consists of getting to know more and more members of Easy.

Luz was one person that I was around constantly, we would swap stories about more movies and what else we liked to do. It made me more confused as to wha I was to him, more than a friend or our friendship staying the same. I was never good with something like that, even getting to know Adam was tough for me since I hardly read the signs he was throwing at me. It was the same thing as Luz, I was so blind to the concept of flirting and dating that he could be throwing me signals and signs that he likes me and I would have no real clue as to who tor receive and run with it. I only wished that I had my mother around, or someone who can clearly point out the flaws that I had. The flaw of being complement blind of flirtation.

I was driving through the camp now in one of the training jeeps that we were using. it's been nothing but driving for me really, going from place to place and handgun errands that were needed. I was mostly dropping off supplies, or officers, but it was fine with me since the rest of the day would have consisted of me sitting still on my butt and twiddling my thumbs. Another reason why I was glad that I was in the jeep was to avoid Captain Sobel, whom still seemed to have hated me because of my lashing out at him in Fort Benning some time before. Just being around in the same area as him was going to make my skin crawl, and he was Easy's Captain. I felt bad for them really, since they were still under his command and having to listen to him the whole time.

Once I turned the corner and was deriving down one of the lanes that was leading into the small English town we were in, I saw a small gang of easy members walking and talking together in such a excited manner that I grinned from seeing them. Its been in a long while since I saw them last, and one they made eye contact with me, they waved me over to drive by them. How could I resist that, since I wanted to talk to them about their training with Sobel more than anything. I got the jeep over there, seeing that they were all in their combat training gear and some of their helmets were still on.

"Hello boys, you all look far too happy." I joked with them as I parked the jeep in front of them now and they were all bouncing on their heels and toes. Joe LIebgott glided over to the hood of the jeep, hopping on the top of the hood as the others came in close to be near me and the jeep. As Joe was leaning back and taking out a cigarette to light it, I could see Perconte, Muck, young baby faced Sisk, and Luz with his radio on his back and him just grinning as Perconte spoke up to me.

"We just goosed Sobel!" He said in glee, having me almost be floored as I sat up a bit in my driver's seat and rested my hands on the steering wheel.

"You're kidding." I said in a wide smile.

"No way in hell are we gonna kid about something like that! The guy gets us lost, can't read a map to save his life you know? The next thing we do, we impersonate Major Horton and have Sobel cut the Goddamn fence to let the cows out!" Muck explained to me, having me hear the others chuckle and laugh from hearing the story from him. I never thought they had it in them to do something like that to their own Captain, but then again I was betting they were waiting for the perfect moment to trick him since they already hated the guy.

"How did you impersonate Horton?" I asked in curiosity. Joe grinned at me from his spot on the hood of my jeep, exhaling and then pointing with his cigarette in the direction of Luz, who was rearranging his radio pack on his back.

"This guy did the Major's voice, spot on," He replied, "I wasn't there, I was on the winning team in the game of 'who can get their first'. But this guy, he made a lot of the boys laugh and he made Sobel look more like a dick than ever before." He explained as he then inhaled and I smiled at Luz. For some reason, Luz looked more sheepish to agree with Joe, maybe because it was me or something else could be happening with it really. But I could see how he was fidgeting a bit in his stance there with Perconte shoving him playfully and others were tapping his head in approval.

"You did that?" I asked him, shock was there hear din my voice as he nodded with the cocky grin back on his face as she almost puffed out his chest a bit from being called out and almost being seen as a hero.

"I do that the un-divine gift of voice, you know that Adaline." He said to me with the cocky tone back in his voice and in how he was standing there in front of me. The others laughed from his remark.

"You should have seen it. I think Sobel was about to shit his pants from what he heard coming out of Luz's mouth." Perconte explained to me in a snort.

"Should I be proud of you boys being mischievous?" I asked them all in curiosity, seeing them look at me now with sheepish looks and grins on their faces that would remind me of children, like I caught them in an act that they thought they were going sneak by with it and not get in trouble or get their wrists slapped.

"Very much so." Joe replied back to me with his smooth tone as he inhaled through his cigarette.

"Good to hear, now get off my jeep. I have to deliver some medical supplies to the medical wing before Sobel gets me in more trouble." I said to Joe, seeing him roll his eyes and slide off the hood of my jeep as I got the engine back on and going.

"You going over to see Doc?" Muck asked me in curiosity.

"Of course, he still has more training to do with the other medics in town." I explained to them all. it was when Luz spoke up then from his own spot.

"You think you can give me a ride?" He asked as he shifted the radio pack some more and then tried to get it off his back without breaking his back in the process. I smiled and I couldn't help but nod my head, since we haven't had a good amount of time together as of late. "I need to take this by the radio matience station, I think I broke it while we were out today."

"Don't tell Sobel know or he'll rip you a new one." Muck advised him as Luz moved over to the passenger side of the jeep, getting in the seat and propping the radio pack to be between his legs as I got the jeep in gear.

"Go to hell, Muck." Luz grumbled to him as he got comfortable in the jeep.

"Love you too, Luz." Muck replied with his grin as I eyed Joe giving me one wink before he moved out of the way. If I was alone with Joe, I would really flip him off for doing that in front of the boys, I could tell from the look he was giving me that he had some idea of what was going on between Luz and I. All I could do was try to be the nice friend there that he needed me to be. I got the jeep to hit drive as we were off before I would hear anything else from another Easy member, and I could see from the corner of my eye Luz was glad to be away from the guys too. Once we were back on the road, just the two of us, Luz sighed in relief and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Rough day?" I asked casually, trying to make small talk with him really.

"Rough training with Sobel. The guy couldn't read the Goddamn map he was working with." Luz explained to me as I was making a large turn to go along another road that was going to take me more North in the town.

"What kind of training was this anyways?" I asked him.

"Map direction and battalion training. Though it felt more like we were just running around like chickens with our heads cut off." Luz went on with his own ranting now as he was leaning back more in his seat and I could see him closing his eyes with a small smile there evident on his face. The wind was picking up, cool because of the fact that it was Autumn and some clouds were rolling for the rain that was going to come into the area now. I would think Luz would be more uncomfortable because of his day, still stewing in anger for Sobel. But I didn't see that at all, more like the opposite actually. He still had that smile that he would always war on his face, his face looked beyond relaxed and soothing with his one leg prepped up to be near the window and his hands folded in his lap. There was always something about him that seemed so calm and so sincere to be around, almost like he was letting things roll off his shoulders and not scare him.

"For someone who thinks he broke the radio pack he's been wearing, you seem so calm." I commented to him as I made another turn along the dirt road we were on. Luz opened one eye at me and he grinned, a mischievous grin now.

"If I can handle Sobel and his rants with me, I can handle any other radio mechanic. Trust me, this is going to be more like a cake walk." He convinced me with his smooth talking kind of style, having me grin back at him in return.

"You always surprise me, Luz." I said back to him.

"I tend to do that from time to time. And yet, you still find me interesting enough to call me friend." Luz said with a bit of a boast in his tone.

"I find your jokes entertaining, not mention your voices and how to carry yourself with the men around you." I informed him more than talking to him.

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Luz joked with me in almost a snort, having me shake my head from the thought of me talking like it was a bad thing at all.

"More the opposite really. I think the guys need someone like you from time to time. We need that kind of moral to lift up our spirits." I explained to him in such a kind matter, thinking that he would want to hear something like that really. But it was when I looked over at him, I was floored from how he was staring at me. He was no longer having his eyes closed, but they were looking right at me now with his smile smaller now but with a hint behind it. He knew something in his own head then, and I could see that it was moving him around and making him look a different way.

"Are you trying to flirt with me, O'Malley?" He asked me, not in a coy manner but with a joking kind of way to it. It surprised me that he would talk like that to me with no shame behind it, yet I still drove on down the lane when we were about to make it into the part of the town where the office was where Luz needed it be. Something about him asking me if I was flirting with him, it made it sound so casual and so easy. It almost was like he was saying it like it was normal to him, like breathing. Once we pulled up to the office where he was going to go, I just shrugged my shoulders at him really to see what he was thinking about it.

"What do you think?" I asked him, not trying to sound coy as I got the jeep to come to a slow stop in front of the radio matinence station. I placed the jeep in part, the engine was still on and gently humming in the quiet neighborhood as Luz was still eyeing me with his small grin on his face now. I was waiting for him to do something, anything really since he was just sitting there and staring at me.

After a solid few seconds that felt more like minutes, George leaned over and gave me a single yet tingling peck of his lips against my cheeks before he scurried out of the passenger seat with his pack on his back. He grinned at me before he walked into the building, but I was frozen there in my jeep with mynahs still on the staring wheel and my thoughts going all over the place. I felt hot right where he lips touched.

George Luz kissed me on the cheek. I was in hot water now.


	8. Chapter 8

Stop and breathe.

Stop and breathe.

But how could I breathe when I felt Luz give me a kiss on the cheek, and yet he acts like it was nothing. It got to the point where I had to drive back to my own quarters and just….walk back and forth within my own living area and try to decompose it in my head. He was just sitting there…in my jeep…and he just kissed me.

That cheeky bastard.

Why was this bothering me so much? Wait, was it even bothering me? I was shocked, that much is for certain, and yet I was not wanting to go down there and punch him in the face. He was bold with me, Adam was not even close to being that bold with me when it came to showing his feelings to me. Adam was careful about it, he asked me if he could kiss me before he actually did. But now with Luz, that was a whole different story. I had to talk to someone about it, yet none of the guys from Easy came to mind since they would go off and tell Luz. Actually, now that I was thinking about it and it was giving me a headache, Eugene would never say anything like that. Joe, well, he was a maybe. I had no real balls to scare him into not spilling what I told. No, I had to think of someone else to talk about what happened.

I had to call Aaron.

"You do realize it's way too early for you to talk to me." Aaron sounded a bit groggy on the phone that I was using at Headquarters since they were the only ones that could call over to America with a safe line. I told them this was a family emergency, and since I was not technically an army soldier, they were fine with me having the call. So there I was, sitting in one of the private rooms in the house with my brother on the other line.

"It's a bit important, Aaron." I said to him in urged manner, having me hear him yawn on the other end of the line and something shuffling around a bit.

"What is it?" He asked me, not having me hear how clear his voice was.

"Something happened to me, here at the base in England…" I started the conversation.

"You okay?" He asked, having me realize that he was thinking that I might have blown a leg off or something.

"Oh no, nothing like that. No, I'm okay, I swear." I reassured him, hearing him sigh in relief.

"Don't scare me like that. You sounded like this was serious." He commented, having me glare even though he was not in the room to see that glare.

"It kind of is, Aaron!" I countered back.

"Okay! Okay, Jesus. What is it? Boys picking on you there?" He teased with a playful tone.

"Quite the opposite, really." I answered.

"Oh, well look who's making friends with the guys. I remember in your last letter that you were liking the guys in Easy Company." Aaron explained.

"One of them did something today that was a bit….shocking." I tried to find the right word, but nothing was really coming to mind. Not to me really. What kind of word would I find something like that? Aaron said nothing on the other end of the line, having me try to find the right words to lay it out. Because in all honesty, this was still reeling in my head over and over again.

"You make it sound like it's a good thing…should I be concerned at this point?" Aaron asked me cautiously.

"No." I replied.

"And you know how to defend yourself right?" I sighed when he asked me that, "Because I do recall at one time when Jackson Bishop tried to kiss you when you were in high school and you gave him a stiff uppercut with your fist—"

"George Luz kissed me." I blurted out, for one to shut him up from bringing back old memories and old wounds, and secondly to get it out on the table and make sure he knows what is going on with me. Once again, there was a pause there on his end of the line, which made me panic. Was he shocked? Was he angry? I wanted to know.

"Your friend George Luz kissed you?" He asked, making sure he got it right.

"On the cheek, and it came out of nowhere." I explained to him some more. I would think he would be mad that someone tried to kiss me, and I hoped I didn't make it sound like it was forced on me. But I got the opposite reason from him really,

"How was it?" He asked me, having me almost slip out of my chair now from what I was hearing, and how casual he made it sound.

"Excuse me?" I asked in shock.

"How was the kiss?" He asked again, this time he sounded a bit more bubbly about it really than angry, the one tone that I thought he would have.

"It….was….why do you wanna know?" I asked him in a stammer now.

"Well you brought it up, what did you think I was gonna think?" Aaron asked in a chuckle.

"I would have thought you were going to be mad." I admitted to him.

"Oh please. You like being around this guy from all that you told me in the letters and when we talk on the phone. You would think that him kissing you would piss me off." He explained to me calmly as I was tapping my fingers on the desk that I was sitting at.

"You're not mad?" I asked him tentatively.

"Of course not. Hell, I'm happy for you." He said.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned him.

"Adaline, I don't think I've heard you this happy in a long time, and I know it has been really hard for you since Adam died," I could hear the hesitancy in his voice when he brought up my late husband, "But this is going to be good for you I think. You needed to get your own mind straight and find yourself again, plus this Luz guy seems to really like you."

"You think?" I asked him, hearing him once again chuckle on his end.

"Duh. You are one shy oblivious girl when it comes to stuff like this," he joked with me, "It took you a good solid week or two to get the sutle dropped hints from Adam. Has this Luz guy been dropping you hints?"

"Let me think." I said to him, thinking to myself on all the times that Luz would have dropped hints with me. The way he would smile, how he would sit close enough me that would make me feel comfortable and almost safe. The way he danced with me that was not even remotely close to being uncomfortable, almost like I was a teenager again and have those butterflies in my stomach. Was there more to it than that? How he smiled with me, how he made me laugh from all of his impressions. Then I remembered how he was when I told him about Beth. He didn't run, nor did he get weird with me and then get awkward in our relationship. He stayed, no seeing me as any less of a friend to him, and maybe even more.

"I'm going to take that long pause you just gave me as a yes, yes he has been dropping you hints." Aaron said to me in the phone and I sighed in frustration.

"God, why me?" I said in a miserable tone like this was a bad thing.

"Because you're a pretty damn gorgeous gal who has the biggest heart that I have ever seen, so this guy would be an absolute idiot if he wasn't liking you at this point." Aaron explained to me boldly now with a hint of passion in his voice.

"You're only saying that because I'm your sister." I countered back in agitation.

"Maybe, but I am also saying this because we're friends too, you know that? I think, out of all the women in my life, you have the biggest heart for people. This Luz guy, he sees that." Aaron said to me once again with calmness in his tone instead of the boldness that was there before.

"Well, thank you, Aaron. I feel much better to know that." I commented to him in a chuckle.

"I'm glad to have helped with your problem when it comes to love," Aaron said in a snort, "Now, what are you going to do about it?"

"What should I do?" I asked him in return.

"Be bold, kiss him back!" Aaron said in enthusiasm.

"Since when do I ever do that, Aaron? Do you now know me at all?" I asked Aaron.

"I do know you, and kissing guys is not your forte. But come on, this guy really likes you apparently and you should kiss him back since you like him too. It's pretty damn simple if you think about it." Aaron ended there and I grinned with a hint go blush there on my cheeks. I would have to think that I would have to kiss him back, to show him how I really felt. But that was the bold part of me that was hardly there, but once again my shy side was overpowering any other side of me, since I would rather lay down and go under the radar without having the insecurities go the world in front of me to make me feel bad than to try and be a bold person. That was Luz, he was the one who was bold, along with the rest of the Easy Company.

How I was fitting into the group was beyond me.

* * *

I was sitting on top of my jeep, right next to Eugene, and we both were having a relaxing afternoon off with books in our hands and a good amount of silence between us. I was reading up on planes and the latest mechanical engineering that we were going to use in the war, and Eugene was reading up on the new Medic handbook and getting acquainted with the practices there. I was beyond blessed to have a friend like Eugene there with me, someone who liked having the peace and quiet of reading and not wanting to be too rambunctious. He was a big contrast from the others in Easy, but it was a good contrast for me.

It's been two days since I saw Luz and he kissed me on the cheek. Since then, I think he was avoiding me like the plague really because whenever I was around Easy, he was nowhere to be found. Did he get the hint that I was petrified? Did he think that he made the wrong decision? I was still thinking about the kiss, how it made me feel sparks and warmth like tidal waves flooding over me. I wanted to talk to him about it, but there was no real chance for me do that since we both were pretty busy with me flying training planes and Luz training with Easy.

The only thing that could be heard from our spots was the turning of pages, and our even breathing as we both were too engrossed to hear someone walking up to us and a small tap of the knuckles on the top of the jeep hood. We both shot our heads up, seeing none other than Joe Liebgott, smiling at the both of us with his cheeky grin. There was something rolled up in his hand, almost looked like a leafed booklet really as we both stared at him.

"Am I disturbing the book club for you two?" Joe said to us both and we closed our books with our fingers and I shook my head.

"Just our peace and quiet, but I can overlook that for once." I replied back smoothly, hearing him chuckle as he then held up what was rolled in his hand: a comic. Both Doc and I sat up from the sight of the rolled up comic book that he was holding, the smile on his face made it seem like he was holding the most prized possession that he has ever had in his life. He placed it in front of the both of us, unrolling it and smoothing out the edges with his fingers and having me see the title of the comic: S_uper Comics: Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk_.

"How did you get a comic in your possession?" Eugene asked with a hint of curiosity there in his Louisianan accent.

"I might have bribed one of the members in Fox Company who snuck it in with his bag." Joe explained his cocky attitude as I smirked at him and Eugene was carefully reaching out to touch the edges with his fingers.

"What did you ride him with?" I questioned him.

"I had smokes and some spare cash, plus I was kind of blackmailing him for catching him feelin' up one of the nurses at the hospital. I told him I wouldn't say a single word if he gave me the comic, he caved so quick." Joe answered in a snicker as I looked up and I caught him eyeing me with a cheeky grin on his face. He was so proud of his accomplishment of sneaking in a comic and him not getting in any kind of trouble because of it, I reminded me of my brother from time to time when he would get out of getting in trouble.

"Why bring it over here?" I asked him in wonder since I would figure that Joe would want to keep this kind of thing to himself because of his love for comics. Hell, he wouldn't let this comic see the light of day if he had the chance.

"Wanted to share it would ya, give you a proper education on the beauty that is comics." Joe explained to me, having me look over at Eugene and see him roll his eyes.

"I'm heading to the medic station anyways, this is gonna give me a headache," he said to me as he hopped down from his spot on the jeep hood next to me. I grinned as he waved at me, "I'll save you a seat for dinner."

"Thanks, Doc." I said to him as he walked off, his medical book under his arm and a small pep in his step now.

"I didn't know you were being all buddy-buddy with Doc these days." Joe commented to me as he hopped up onto the hood of the jeep next to me, grabbing the comic to read for himself and hanging one leg off the side and the other stretched in front of him.

"We're both kindred spirits." I replied as I got open the mechanic book again, seeing where I left off on the paragraph.

"You both are too shy to hang around us guys?" Joe questioned with a hint of snarkiness there as he was flipping operand looking at his own comic and reading material. I could see him leaning back a bit on the top of the jeep and the one foot that was there against the metal proping up.

"Not shy, more reserved and less brash." I corrected him, seeing out of the corner of my eye him smirking and flipping another page of his comic.

What are you tryin' to say about me?" He asked me in a teasing manner, having me heckle as I flipped my own page and kept reading.

"Nothing at all." I replied smoothly. There was another moment or two of us once again reading our own materials and I would move onto another paragraph when Joe spoke up again.

"You gonna fly planes anytime soon?" He asked me in almost a casual tone as he kept reading his comic in such a leisure manner.

"Nope. I'm still going to be your mechanic and driver." I replied, hearing him scoff from next to me.

"Which is total bullshit." He muttered in a distasteful tone.

"I can hear that in your voice." I added, seeing him place his comic down so I can see his face now and how pissed he looked.

"Seriously, though. Have they not seen you fly yet?" He asked me with a hug of his shoulders, having me shake my head.

"They won't risk me flying anytime soon, Joe. Not only are we not even close to going out there in the air anytime soon, but I'm also the only American female pilot in England who has wings." I reminded him, seeing him look at me in disbelief, "They won't risk me flying out there in the middle of the battle."

"So, no combat flying is what I'm guessing." Joe said to me, having me shake my head again and feel the small pain in the pit of my stomach from knowing that I was not going to be used for my flying.

"They have plenty of pilots always and not enough mechanics to get around," I informed him, "You need a mechanic and a driver more than you need a pilot."

"Still kind of shitty, don't you think?" Joe asked me carefully as he got his comic strip back up in front of his nose and looking back at the pictures now. He did have some kind of point to it. It was really all about me not being good enough to be in the plane, or the opposite really. I was beyond good enough, not to be cocky about it. But they are still afraid to have me be up there in the sky because of me being one of the only American Females that will be in Europe. it was too far of a risk for me and the others to see and experience, yet I knew I could do whatever they wanted from me. Who was I going to have to convince in order to get some time in the air? Even if it was just to carry supplies or even have the men jump from my plane, they were still scared. if I was them, I would be too.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, looking back at my book in my lap, "Yeah it is shitty."

* * *

There was a tapping my door late one night, having me wake up from my spot in my cot and rubbed my eyes in confusion as to who it would be waking me up then and there. After having my great conversation with Joe about how shitty of a stain it was that I was not going to be flying anytime soon, I decided to hit the hay early since thinking about too many thing at one time was giving me a headache. I was thinking about not only my position in the army and the lack of my wings on my jacket, but also what happened with my phone conversation with Aaron and our conversation about Luz. That was still raw for me to try and understand, raw and real. It made me think to go to bed that night on how this whole thing was making me feel, how George was making me feel. It wasn't that I hated what I was experiencing with him, it was more on the other end of the spectrum.

I swung my legs over the side to grab my brassiere and change into it and my white training shirt. Walking over and grabbing my training jacket, I pulled on my training pants as well which left my feet barefoot and my dog tags hanging out in front of my shirt as I grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly. I was still sleepy since it felt like the wee hours of the morning, but when I opened the door, my eyes went wide to the sight of George Luz, standing there in front of my door and looking a bit tired as well in his own training uniform. He looked a bit unkempt, his hair was messy and tossed in such a way like he himself was in bed and now he was there in front of me.

"Hi." I said to him in almost a gasp, still surprised to see him right in front of me and looking a bit out of it himself.

"Hi." He replied back in a hesitant manner, "I…I uuhhh…well shit I have no idea why I'm here." he confessed to me in a shaky manner, resorting to rubbing the back of his neck with his fingers now and his eyes were trying to avoid me. So I leaned against the doorframe now, watching him as he then finally looked at me and I saw how warm and kind his eyes were.

"Well, it is about 2 in the morning, Luz." I said in a yawn though I was trying to look more awake than ever.

"Yeah, yeah that seems a bit awkward." Luz said to me in a nervous manner, and yet he was still looking out of it than he did before.

"You look a bit troubled." I said to him as more of a fact than anything. I could see him nod his head in agreement there and give me a small smile.

"I have been since the other day…back at the jeep." He said to me, having me insatiately think back to when we were talking in the jeep and the next thing I knew he kissed me on the cheek. I never forgot it really, since it was mostly all I could think about and basically something that I did not expect.

"That's kind of why I came here to talk to you," Luz explained as he was shifting in his boots nervously on my porch, my hands crossed in front of me were coming to hang at my sides and my fingers were itching to do something, anything, to calm him down since he looked like he was about to have some kind of panic attack, "For one, I think what I did was pretty out there and I probably scared the hell out of you, and I wanted to come by and apologize—"

I was cutting him off by kissing him on the cheek, hearing him go completely silent and frozen in front of me.

I leaned back to stand where I was in the doorframe, watching him as he was reacting to what I did to him. He didn't think I was going to do something like that, and it even surprised me too since Aaron was the one who sprung it on me to do something about it. I was always so cautious when it came to something like this, cautious and careful. But this time I had to take that one big leap of faith because this could be something I really needed in my life. Luz brought it out in me, in how he carried himself like he was taking every day like it was his own last day there on earth.

"That was for the kiss in the jeep." I said to him finally, finding my voice from looking at him for far too long. He was still in stunned silence from just looking at me there after kissing him on the cheek. It was like he was struck with a fever, his breathing was almost shallow enough to sound like he was about to have a panic attack and his e=stare as so far long gone.

"I came over here to apologize and you decide to kiss me back?" He asked me, still looking confused as ever as a small sheepish grin was now on my face.

"Was I not supposed to?" I asked him back, seeing him slowly try to find his voice again after what I did to him. After a good couple of seconds after I dropped the infamous question, a smile broke out on his face again and it felt like all as well in the world between the both of us. I had to be the one who was bold, and Luz had to be the one who would initiate something like that to me.

"I was afraid that you would hate me from what I did." Luz confessed to me with the smile still there on his face to show that he really liked what I did, or least I hoped he liked what I did.

"First of all, I would never hate you," I stated to him in a kind manner, "And secondly, I didn't actually hate what you did." His grin was now bigger since I told that I liked it, but it wasn't in a cocky manner at all, more of a genuine smile was back on his face.

"Really?" He asked me, not even sounding confident about himself when he asked me. It sounded like he was so unsure, which was not like him at all. I nodded my head and I noticed that he inched a bit closer then to me, but still enough space for someone else to be between us. I noticed the step over towards me, yet I stayed still when I answered him.

"Of course, George." I said to him with the sweetness there on my face and the fluttering was back in my heart from what I was feeling around and over me.

"So, I know this is probably a bad time to have this conversation really since it's way too late in the night for it, but I've been wanting to kiss you for a while actually." he confessed to me, having me feel so still at that moment from hearing that come out of his mouth and how he almost stuttered over the words, like he was afraid to say it at all.

"Since when?" I asked him in curiosity now, seeing him bite his lower lip and not say a word for a moment or two because of now how close we were there in my doorway. I felt kind of trapped there, George in front of me now and looking at me in a way that would have me think that he was a blind man seeing for the first time. It made it hard to breathe with him being so close and not showing any kind of remorse there in how close we were.

"Since I ran into you in Camp Toccoa." Just hearing that sentence made me already rethink of the possibility of this being something more with George Luz. I was so scared and so unsure of what I wanted with him, and yet my brother was right: the signs were all there for me and I had no real clear understanding as to what they meant and if they were true signs for not. Who knew that someone like me would grab the attention of someone like Luz, and there could have been many different reasons as to why I shouldn't be having feelings for him and vice versa. Yet, it seemed so simple and so perfect to me.

"And you never regretted it, not once?" I asked him, almost in a softer tone now since we were far too close to be talking normally. He shook his head, the smile still plastered there and it made me think that he too was liking what was going on between us.

"Not once." he replied back smoothly and without hesitation.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing we had this talk here at 1 in the morning." I said in almost a joking manner with him. He chuckled there right in front of me, close enough where I could feel the laugh there along my skin and having me feel like I was drugged, but in the best way that I could ever be drugged.

"So, can I do something that I've been wanting to do for awhile now, since we kind of already established that we kind of..like each other?" Luz asked me in a kind of sheepish manner, once again seeming so unsure about what was happening between us. I had nothing left tot really hold onto, not to mention I was no longer afraid of what as going to happen to us next. But he was now close enough to me, looking at right in the eyes now and I saw him leaning over to me to place his lips on my own.

We kissed, and everything within me was exploding.

It felt like I was a teenager again, everything that was feeling behind my closed eyelids, and my fingers twitching along my sides and my head swimming in colors and stars that I would only see late in the night back at home. I couldn't move at all, since just kissing him and holding that one kiss made it enough for me to feel frozen like ice yet read hot in the lips. Yet George held the kiss there, grabbing the both of my hands there within his own just to make some kind of move there within the doorframe and on my porch. It was all new for me again, the fast beating of my heart and how I feel like I really go just burst at the seams from all that I was feeling and experiencing in that one simple and gentle kiss.

Once we pulled away from each other, I was still reeling from the feeling of the kiss that I breathed out slowly and opened my eyes to see George looking right back at me. Everything shifted, shifted and tilted in a way I never thought would be possible.

"Goddamn." I said in a gasp since it was all far too much for me to handle that early in the morning. This was what I pictured a first kiss with anyone would be, but then again with this man, it was far beyond different and was going to be unique.

"You never curse, Adaline." George said to me in his low and out of breath tone, having me realize that I was out of my now element there and I did in fact curse. I never thought I would do that, but the kiss and George himself brought it out of me in the best way that it could.

"Sorry." I said to me in a light manner, yet George shook his head and squeezed our joined hands tighter within the space between us now.

"I like this new side of you, actually." He replied to me, having me grin widely at him as we kissed again under the porch light at my cabin.

Yeah, I kind of liked it too.


	9. Chapter 9

**November 22nd, 1943**

**Aldbourne, England**

It was once of those days, the kind of days that you really wished you were somewhere else other than the place you were in. That day was really hard for me since it was Beth's 4th birthday.

Her birthday, and I was in freaking England.

I only wished that she looked like now, how long her hair was getting and if she was still getting dirt on her dress. It was killing me how I was not there to see her, making these days harder and harder for me to get through. I still had the Easy Company boys to keep me company, and the plenty of time to work as their mechanic and training with the other pilots, however, it was never enough since they hardly had me in the sky in the first place. But I had another thing to worry about that was on my plate, another person more than anything.

George Luz.

Since we kissed, it kind of felt like we were teenagers who just started dating all over again. We would smile at each other across the mess halls or when we would walk by each other, I could catch him waving me in almost a sheepish manner so that he would not be caught by the other boys in Easy who were almost catching on with what was going on. The one who was really getting some kind of lead in the whole thing was Guarnere, not to mention Joe Liebgott, but he was more reserved about it. I was still riding on a sheepish high that I was feeling all over me now that I once had before with Adam. It was those fleeting glances, the stolen laced fingers we would share for mere seconds before we would separate, and the constant talking we would have with one another. It was another thing that was unique about George Luz, he would always talk to me about anything and everything under the sun.

I loved talking to him, hearing his jokes and how he grew up in the small state of Rhode Island. Even after we kissed, we were acting just like our old friendly self with each other again, but we sat closer together and leaned in a bit more when the other would speak. I enjoyed him more and more with each passing talk and each passing look we would give.

But then, I had to stop and think about Adam.

Was what I was doing wrong? Was it almost a guilt thing that I was doing? I wonder why I was thinking that way with George since he wasn't treating me wrong or showing m any disrespect. No, he was just as a gentleman with me as Adam was, but it felt like I was cheating on Adam in a sense. Hell, Adam was dead as I had no tied to anyone that would hinder me from dating other men. But there was still the concept of Beth, how would she fit in with this whole thing? Would she mind me talking to another man?

This was still something I had to smooth out.

"How's Beth today?" I asked Aaron on the phone, once again talking to him on the main phone that we could only use in the whole area now. It was near dark then, and I knew I would catch him at the perfect time really since we were a couple of hours ahead of them back in the states.

"She's doing good, Adaline. She's been missing you terribly though, almost had a fit last night from a nightmare about you," Aaron explained to me on the phone, having me sigh and lean against the doorframe and my eyes were being rubbed with my fingers there against my eyelids.

"How bad was the nightmare?" I asked him in a worried manner.

"Pretty bad. Beth wants you home, Adaline." Aaron explained to me in a low tone, having me think he was trying to keep his own voice down from not being heard from where he was.

"I knew something like this was going to happen." I said in misery there against the wall frame, seeing her face in my head and how miserable she must have been without me there for her fourth birthday.

"Keep your head up, you're making money for the both of you so that you don't have to worry about her too much, remember?" Aaron asked me on the phone, reminding me once again why I made the stupid decision to leave her and the rest of my family behind and literally place my life on the line. She was the real reason why I was doing this, going through the constant worries at night and the heartaches of not having my daughter near me.

"Did you get my letter I sent you?" Aaron asked me, having me smile again at the memory of getting that letter the very morning and opening it with haste. I read it from top to bottom, seeing his neat handwriting there on the page and, of course, the new picture of Beth and himself that he took. From what I saw there in the picture she was getting far so tall then and her hair was still looking so light in the movie and the loose curls were framing her face so nicely. She still looked like her father, with the round and pleasant face and her eyes were very bright and her skin looking so pure. Even from this far away on the other side of the world, I could still feel her close to me in how she would just giggle into my hair when I would tickle her senseless.

"I did, she's getting bigger every time you send a new picture." I commented to him, hearing him laugh.

"She gets it from dad, I think she'll outgrow all of the clothes mom gets her. And you would be beyond proud of her, she gets each dress from Grandma ruined and muddy from head to toe." I giggled from hearing that from him, already picturing my mother being mad at my daughter for getting muddy and dirty with grass in her hair and her shoes dripping in water and dirt there too.

"She is her mother's daughter after all." I said back to him, already feeling better about the situation.

"Yeah, she's having her cake with dad right now. I think she wants to say hi to you, hang on a second will ya?" He asked me, having me hear the other end of the line that he was shuffling the phone around a bit and then talking to someone in a hushed tone. Out of nowhere, the sound of small feet rushing over to the phone made me grin as I heard her, finally.

"Mommy!" She said in glee, and hearing her own voice after what seemed like forever almost made me want to cry from the sigh of relief that I wanted to let go.

"Hey Beth, how are you sweet one?" I asked her in wonder, standing up a bit straighter now against the door frame.

"It's my birthday, mommy!" She said with such glee.

"I know it is, sweetheart. That's why I called, I would never miss a birthday." I reassured her, "Tell me what you got for your birthday."

"Grandpa got me a doll, it looks like you, mommy. She has green eyes, light hair, and everything. Uncle Aaron got me some sneakers so I can run and play with him in the park," Beth explained to me now like she was giving me some kind of interview, "And Grandma got me a dress."

"Did she? Is it pretty?" I asked her in curiosity.

"It's pretty and yellow, but very itchy. I don't like itchy dresses to much, mommy." She confessed me, having me chuckle.

"I know you don't." I reassured her lovingly.

"She's ready mad at me for getting cake on my dress." Beth sounded more miserable there, having me grimace a bit from how it was heard and how she was reacting to her own grandmother and how she was scolded for being so clean and pristine.

"Well, what kind of cake was it?" I asked her in a whisper since I wanted it to be more playful between us than anything else really.

"Chocolate, Uncle Aaron made it." Beth whispered back to me in a cheery manner.

"Then of course you would love it and get it on your dress," I said playfully to her, hearing her giggle on her end of the line and it mad this whole day so much better, "I don't mind you getting dirty…"

"As long as I am having fun." Beth finished the quote to me, having me really wish I wouldn't tear up at that moment and wishing that I was there with her. She was learning from me, even when I wasn't there. It made me glad that she was remembering all that I was teaching her when she was a bit younger, through the times we would play together or cook together. I only had those memories to hold onto while I was here in the war to get me through bad days and nights.

"Did you make friends mommy?" She asked me, her voice was beyond curious now as I chuckled.

"What do you think?" I asked her back.

"Well, Uncle Aaron told me you were making friends. Are they nice?" She asked me politely.

"Very nice, and playful. You would like them I think. There is even one man here name Luz, he makes funny voices and faces to make the others laugh when they feel sad." I explained to her, twirling my fingers around the cord near the phone to pass the time.

"Does he make you smile?" She asked me, having me pause before I even answered her. Did he make me smile? It seemed like a simple question for me to answer, but then again it was coming like a four-year-old who was hoping that I was happy. Damn my child for being so selfless and caring for her mother, that was my job really. Even on the other side of the world she was still worried about me and how I was living. So how was I going to tell her about George and how he was affecting me so? I was too transfixed on how the future was going to look with him, that it was warping my own plans for getting in and out of the war alive. Now George was slowly coming in the mix and in my life, whether I was ready for it or not. But was Beth ready for it or not?

"Yes, Sweet one, he makes me laugh."

* * *

"I wanna see a picture of this kid of yours." I grinned as I handed over the picture of Beth that I got earlier that day to Joe, with Malarky and Doc behind him to look at the picture themselves. We were meeting up on front on my porch, sitting there on the wooden steps and just enjoying the cool evening that would turn colder as winter was coming our way. Joe was next to me as he looked at the picture of Beth, a smile on his face and he was looking back at me now.

"This is her?" Malarky asked with a big grin on his face. I nodded since at this point I was gladder that more and more of the guys were accepting me and wanting to get to know me more. Now 5 boys knew about Beth, including Winters who was still kind to me and helping me out in any way he could.

"She has your nose." Doc murmured behind Malarky as he pointed with his pale finger to the picture, "And your hair."

"She is my sweet one." I said to him with a light tone to it.

"Your_ Liebste?_" Joe asked, all of us looking at him now in confusion since he used a German phrase with us.

_"Liebste_?" I repeated the word to get it right. Joe chuckled, lighting one of his many cigarettes and then nodding his hand.

"It means sweetheart, or darling, in German." He explained as he inhaled and then had the smoke escape through his nose.

"Aww, look at Joe being all sweet, or such a _Liebste_." Malarky teased him, Joe glaring at him but then smiling as he looked back at me now. I giggled from the whole thing too since Joe was hardly one to show some kind of kindness to someone, even me. With me, he was different. He seemed so relaxed with me, also with the guys he was rather close to in Easy. We were close friends now, almost reminding me of some of the guy friends Aaron had and grew up with.

"You never mentioned her before." Doc said to me, not as a question but really as a reminder. I nodded since I knew this was going to be brought up really with the rest of the guys since we were close enough to call each other friends and comrades in war.

"In all honesty, I didn't think you guys would be interested in being friends with a single mother. What a way to cramp all of you styles." I joked with him, yet all three of them were giving me looks of confusion as if they were wondering why I would say something like that.

"You think we would give a shit with you were a mother, cramping our style?" Joe asked me in a rough manner, having me be silent and watch him as he was watching me back and inhaling another bit of his cigarette.

"That was very subtle, Joe." Malarky said to him in a low manner, almost like a warning as Joe sighed.

"Okay, sorry. What I was trying to say, was that we never really would have looked at you differently than an Easy member." Joe said to me in a calmer manner, yet there was still a sharpness to it since that w as the way he talked.

"Much better." Malarky praised him with a bright manner though Joe really looked like he wanted to flip him off from the banter.

"Joe has a point there." Doc piped in with his subtle voice. I stayed quiet as I watched them look at the picture of Beth and I smiled. I was still trying to get used to being around these guys on a constant rotation really, and since I haven't seen George in awhile, I was missing him a bit. This made me feel silly about how I was handling the whole thing. I should be glad to have this kind of goodness happening between us, but I was still having my now doubts about what this meant for my future, my future involving George now. How was I going to have that kind of future when I was involved in a war and I had family left behind back in the states.

I had to figure all that shit out.

* * *

Another day or two came and went for me now, and I was still doing work on the jeeps throughout the town that we were staying, one again trying to avoid Sobel at all costs though it was easier said than done. He was constantly running drills for the men and getting them worked from top to bottom at the start of the morning until the dead of night. Even Winters could tell they were getting worked over and over, and yet there I was learning how to fly planes for loading and unloading supplies, nothing more or less to it really. I was only wondering when I was going to be able to fly planes, and when we were going to start the war.

That part was still up in the air.

"Come with me, O'Malley." I was being called over by one of the English Captains that would run our pilot practicing. It was a cooler evening out there on the plane training strip, so it made me roll up my sleeves on my coveralls and push my hair back in a braid to get the bangs away from my eyes and face. I had my hands shoved in my pockets, strolling behind him as he was wearing his own Royal Air Force uniform on and his aviators on to hide his eyes. He was kind enough to me though, like everyone else, he was skeptical at first when he met me. But I convinced him fairly when I was test driving the other planes that he had, surpassing the rest of his own pilots in how they flew from time to time.

"What is it, sir?" I asked him as he was leading me over to one of the newer planes that they were modeling and getting ready for the war and the jumps for the first day of the war. It was a sleek design, looking brand new and rather massive for me to just not be able to speak of what I was seeing.

"We call this the Percival Petrel." He explained to me as I was seeing the aircraft in front of us, aiming at the setting sun as we walked alongside the plane and having me stay quiet but drink it all in, "It was made in the late 1930's and started flying back in '38. She's one of our top supply planes that we ever used."

"She's beautiful, sir." I said in awe as I was looking at the engine as well as the propeller that was there out in the front.

"She's quite a beauty this one, and we are considering having a couple of our top pilots fly her for supply runs throughout the war." He explained to me some more as we made our way over to one of the wings that we were closer to, having me place my hand on the top of the wing now and feel the cold hard steel underneath my smooth fingertips. It reminded me of when I would see the planes that my father would work on and get his hands on. It made me miss him a bit, seeing his face and how he would talk to me with his sweet yet tough accent from Massachusetts.

"If you're willing to put in the extra work, especially on this plane, we can consider with the other officers in the Royal Air Force to have you felt this plane for the jump night." As soon as he said that to me, I almost lost my footing on the plane and fall to the floor. I had to cling into the plane with the one hand that was there, which made me look more like a fool really. But he was considering me going to fly this plane in the after, really fly it, in order to help out on the war front. Hell, it was better than flying a plan around constantly.

"You want me to fly this plane?" I asked him in shock since it sounded too good to be true.

"That's what we are thinking, but then again we could be considering other pilots to do the job since we are in need for better and more experienced pilots. You're on our list, but we want to see how you can handle training on this plane before we can make that decision." He explained to me some more, but I was already riding on that high from hearing the news of what I was going to be doing now. In the past, especially since I was just waiting and riding jeeps, taking them from Point A to Point B.

Now, I had something else that was going to be taking up my time.

* * *

"You really gonna fly this thing?" George asked me as we were, once again like before, sitting on one of the wings of the newest addition to the Royal Air Force family. After I was given the news, I went off to find the others in Easy to tell them the news. They wanted to know if I was ever going to see any action other than driving a jeep. I even wondered that myself, but this was the best kind of news that I have heard all day. George wanted to talk about it more with me when I rushed over to the guys in the mess hall, which was completely not my style as the shy girl from Boston.

"They think I'm good enough for it, but they still want me to test it and make sure I can handle it." I replied, leaning against the side of the plane now with my hands placed on the metal tops of the plane on both sides. George was sitting across from me now, watching me with his grin and giving me butterflies once again from just his stare and how he was handgun himself around me.

"Push, you can handle it. If you drive a freaking jeep without breaking it then you fly this piece of metal." George joked with me, placing his hand on the metal and having me hear the echo of the sound in the small area we had. I giggled from that, seeing him scoot close to me now, in which I felt a bit trapped there against the side of the plan with nowhere really to go in order to run from what I was feeling with him.

"Way to have some kind of faith in me there, George." I joked with him lightly now, feeling our knees brush as he was still eyeing me and then reaching over slowly to have both of our hands together in such a gentle manner. It gave me another round of sparks that were going off in my stomach when our fingers touched and our palms were side by side. This was what I wanted, to have something like this with someone since I have been lacking this sense of affection for some time. But then again I had to think about this I had ti make sure this was the right thing to do with George.

"You okay?" He asked me, seeing that I was once again thinking to myself. I smiled at him, the cool breeze came through our small area now and we were looking at each other and our hair was flowing in the wind.

"You look like you were in deep thought, was it about me?" George asked with the playfulness was there on his face and in his voice. We still held hands there between us, and yet he was not pressuring me into anything at all when it came to another kiss.

"You tend to be on my mind as of late, George." I confessed to him, feeling his thumb on the top of my hand smooth my skin back and forth when I told him that. I felt silly and shy again with him like I was a young teenager who was bit by the love bug. How was it that he had this kind of effect on me I had no real answer for it.

"So…with you flying and all…where is this gonna take you when it comes to the war?" He asked me now in curiosity, the smile still there on his face and yet he seemed so serious about than anything.

"I don't know, but I do know it'll have nothing to do with me fighting on a plane." I admitted to him.

"They scared of you fighting on a plane?" He asked, looking more confused about it than anything.

"No, more because I'm a woman in a plane is bad enough for him, since apparently they need more pilots and they are desperate enough to get a female to fly one of their planes." I explained to him now, seeing him sigh and shuffled over to sit next to me against the plane wall and propping his feet up against the wing surface. Our hands were still connected, and it was still gentle enough to seem like we were involved with one another and yet we weren't. Not yet.

"George, do you like me?" I asked him suddenly, out of the blue. I had that very question on my mind for hours on end, and it was beyond wonderful to know that I had no sense of direction when it came to learning how to flirt or how to pick up signals from another man. But it was stupid enough to ask him this since we kissed the other night on my very porch after admitting that we did in fact like each other.

"Of course I like you, Adaline." He replied smoothly, without any hesitation there in his voice or how he was holding my hand. We both were shoulder to shoulder, my head against the wall with his and almost tilted over in his direction now.

"Should I ask why?" I asked him another question, a shrug of my shoulders as he turned his head to look over at me now, his eyes scanning my own and having me feel the warmth in his hand one how our boots were slightly touching there on the wing of the plane.

"Not really, no." He replied, having me see him stay really still there as he was watching me with those kind eyes that would instantly calm me from any kind of worry or fear that would come over me.

"Even if I have a daughter, you still want to be with me?" I asked him, sounding os selfish and so insecure about something like this, but it had to be asked and brought into the open. I was more worried then, having me really think that he would shoot up from his spot on the plane and walk away, hell, run away, because of me being a mother and already having enough burdens to last me a lifetime. But there he stayed, holding my hand like it was second nature for him to do, and he just leaned towards me to place his lips against mine once more.

I held it there, the breeze of the evening was coming through once again to lightly cool us as I felt the heat of one simple kiss that he was holding there. If this was anyone else, another guy who wanted to kiss me, I would have ran for the hills myself. But this was George Luz…the comedian of Easy Company, who so happened to like me and think of me as something else and someone who was unique in his eyes. This was the third time we kissed, and yet it felt like the first for me really.

Once he pulled away but stayed close to me still to breathe me in, he pressed his forehead against my own and just stayed there, having me try to calm down myself really after just one kiss with him. It almost felt forbidden to do this with another soldier, but then again I was already the wildcard as a female American pilot in England. I could only just try to breathe and not look like an idiot with a man whom I was having good and genuine feelings for.

"I wouldn't really care if you had the biggest snort of a laugh, I would still want to be with you." George replied to me in almost a husky manner, like he too was affected on how he kissed me. I searched his eyes then, not understanding it all how he could see something in me and want to run for it at full force and not be afraid to do so.

"But why?" I asked him in almost a pleading manner, seeing him smirk and look at our joined hands now, his thumb stroking my skin again and chuckling there to have me feel the vibration of his laugh from our touching foreheads.

"Because you are beyond kind, way too kind for some guy to overlook and step all over," He replied simply to me, finding my eyes again and having me feel the blush there on my cheeks. How he said it was so sincere and almost like he was confessing his own sins and desires to me, "Not to mention, you're rather pretty to look at."

"Even with my greasy face and my coveralls?" I questioned, making it lighter than it was before. Luz smiled widely, his teeth shown and he nodded his head against my own.

"I still will think you're pretty," He said back softly, leaning back a bit so I can all of his face now and his cocky grin back there, "Besides, I wonder if you think I'm cute enough because of how much of an idiot I am."

"You're not an idiot, George." I corrected him, tilted my head at him and slowly reaching up to move some of his floppy hair to the side to feel more of his face along my fingertips and skin, "I never saw you as an idiot."

"Some of the others do." He countered with me as I shook my head. It pained me to hear that from him, a man with confidence flowing through him for all to see, and yet he thought others viewed him as someone with stupidity.

"I don't. You're good-hearted, not an idiot." I reassured him lovingly, resting my hand against his cheek and smiling widely at him, "I have known plenty of idiots all my life, and you are far from being one."

"Good, but I do hope you know what you're getting yourself into if you wanna be with me." He wanted me, but the lightness was heard there for me to giggle and nod my own head, For him to already still pursue me, even with a child who was not his own, was enough for me to bring him in and not longer be afraid of rejection or pain. He never saw my shyness as something that would hold me back, for something that I could use for my future. This was not what I bargained for when I signed up for the war, not at all since he came out of nowhere.

But I knew one thing for certain: I was going to try so hard not to make this complicated, even though it was since we both were in the war and we both were about to dive into one of the biggest wars of the world.

* * *

**June, 1944**

**England**

Once again, we were grounded, and I was getting agitated at that point.

For the past few days there has been talk about us taking the air and about to start this war off right, going over to Normandy and the boys landed there, with me as one of the pilots to take on the plane and help the boys jump. I was trained for it, I knew how to fly those planes now since I was having constant hours both on the ground and in the air for that training.

And yet, we were stuck on the grown because of the weather.

It wasn't all too bad up until that point since we were still training to get ready for the big day that we would head into the war and do all that we were training to do. I was more afraid for myself and the pilots, knowing we were going to be going in through the dead of night and things could go wrong, very wrong indeed. I only hoped and prayed that things were going to be going smoothly for me, only because I had to think that I wanted to make it back to American, whenever that was going to be.

But now I had more than one person to fight for. First it was Beth, but now it was George too.

We still met up from time to time, the both of us, and we would just be together and steal kisses once or twice. He would tell me more things about him that I only thought real friends would tell, and I would do the same. We felt no real pressure to go back to the kisses we would give each other over time we would meet up together. It would always be light, and it would always be eventful for me.

The other boys were good with me too, since sometimes I would drive them to places or they would come and visit me at my own place. I grew close to George, of course, but also Joe Liebgott and Donald Malarky, along with Doc since it was good to have another shy person to be introverted with. They even ran over to tell me Sobel was going to not be their Captain anymore, being sent back to help with newly recruited soldiers. They saw me as a member of their Easy Company family, cracking jokes with me and joining me when they saw I was sitting alone. The must have figured I was suffering bad enough for not being near Beth and having withdrawals within myself, and they wanted to pick up the pieces.

At least, that's what I felt.

So now, waiting to hear when we were going to she these boys off into war, all I had to think about within my now head, was where I was wanting to be at this point. I had friends here, practically a family unit since Easy was tight knit together, and someone who cared for me as more than a friend and who saw through my shyness. If I was anywhere else that was now in the war, I would have all that I wanted. But then, the war could change that within seconds. The tragedy was an ugly way to put it since it was tragedy that can turn one bright thing in the world dark and saddening. It was Tragedy that look Adam from me, and it could do the same thing for the new things that I made in Easy. I could see Joe, Doc, Bull, Guarnere, even Winters, and Nixon. But worst of all. It could take George, and was I ready for another heartbreaking moment?

Was I ready to be broken again?


	10. Chapter 10

**June 5th, 1944**

**Upottery, Airfield**

D-Day had to be the worst day for me really since I knew I was going to fly that night.

I could feel it.

The rest of the men were on edge, meeting up in their Company out on the airstrip as I was meeting with the other pilots, going over coordinates and where we are going to drop off the men in our planes. I had one-half of Easy in my own plane, whereas another British officer had the other half of Easy in his plane. I would rather have them all in my plane and know that they were under my care, but then again I was not going to go against the rules already since it was rare enough for me to be there as one of the sole female pilots. I remained professional about it when we were all meeting together in one of the conference tents that they set up for us since the sun was dying down slowly and we had to make haste with the weather.

"Drops are going to happen here, along here, and here as well," Our pilot commander was explained to us as we were huddled around one of the main tables with a map of Normandy spread out in front of us now, "We have the Yanks coming in along the beach there, so we need to make sure we get our men safely to their drop zones, understand?" He asked all of us now as we were standing there in out combat gear.

"Yes, sir." we all replied to him.

"Good, head out to your planes and get ready to fly our boys out to battle. May God be with you all." He said to all of us, then saluting us as we returned the gesture. Most of them were excited about flying out now onto the eve of battle, others looked more hesitant and reserved. I didn't know I was fitting in that category to be honest. It was still surreal for me to think about it, even with me being in my jumpsuit and my equipment was prepped and ready to go. All I had to do was fly a plane and make sure my boys weren't going to die.

That was what I was there for, Right?

I walked out of the ten and along the top of the airstrip, seeing companies talking to each other and checking their equipment on one another as I was trying to find Easy Company and see if they were ready. I was still trying to make sure I was going to be okay, flying for the first time into the real battle, was I going to make it alright? I had to, I had to try and get in and out alive and in one piece. Since I was one of the only sole females that as going to be flying one of these planes, there was more at stake with me since I was pretty much representing the WASP part of the Air Force, and America for be honest. That was a lot to put on my shoulders, a bit too much for anyone.

"O'Malley, we need to talk for a second." I looked behind me to see the officer coming over to me with a pep in his step and a stern look on his face.

"Yes, sir?" I asked as he approached me now, standing in front of me.

"The commanders and other officers are a bit more concerned about flying our boys over the drop zones." He explained to me now, having me nod in agreement since I knew this kind to talk was coming.

"I understand, sir." I agreed, seeing him sigh and scratch the back of his head.

"I was told to explain to you the protocol for you if you were ever caught and capture by the enemy." I froze in my spot there, not even considering that part of this whole situation. To be a female in the army was already a rare thing, but a female pilots, flying in enemy territory, could mean serious trouble if I wasn't careful.

"They think it's best for you to try and dress as close to a male as humanly possible in order to not be seen by the enemy and not become a Prisoner Of war. It's better for you to hide that you are a female in this war when it comes to combat than anything." He explained to me calmly now, having me drink in that piece of information. If my life was going to be at risk because I was a female flying a plane, then I would have to be far more careful than I was before. It was going to be a pain to hide that I was, in fact, a woman, but then again I would rather live and go home than die at the hands o Germans, or worse.

"Yes, sir." I replied to him, seeing him smile and nod his head.

"Glad to know you're on the same page, O' Malley." He said to me now with the smile back on his face, "Have a safe flight, may God be with you." He saluted me and I saluted back, seeing him walk off now and having me grasp the straps that were on my chest now in worry. This was far riskier than I thought, and I somehow wished that I was just a driver up at that point. Not only would I be risking the lives of my Company men, but also my own life because of my gender. My life was no hanging in the balance far more delicately than it should have been before.

I started to walk again, back on the strip now as I finally saw some of the guys talking together and getting their own combat gear ready to go since they were all putt in airsickness pills in their mouths now. I smiled from seeing them, trying not to really think about the worst that could happen since I was more along the lines of being the hopeful optimist than a Debbie downer.

"Adaline." My name was called, having me notice that voice now as I turned to see George walking over to me now. He was in his own gear, ready for the jump now as they placed some grease on his face and his helmet was there to cover his floppy soft hair. I grinned at him, both of our gears were such a contrast then. My own hair was dutch braided back into a bun on the back of my head now though my bangs were small enough to hang loose in front of my eyes.

"You look ready to go there, Luz." I commented to him, wanting it to be light more than anything. He smiled at me, looking at me up and down and I could see something was bothering him about it. I didn't know what, and that was making me scared since he looked a bit sick in the stomach from just looking at me.

"Same to do, almost like they'd expect you to go out there and shoot up from Germans from the plane." He said to me now in almost a grimaced manner, having me sigh and shake my head. George was concerned about me, now it all made sense really.

"I'm just flying the plane, Luz. I promise, I won't be fighting today." I reassured him, taking another step over to him and feeling bad that I couldn't reach out to hold his hand. We were still out in the open, and the last thing I wanted to do was to no bring him comfort and peace about this.

"It's almost the same thing, you flyin' out to be where their planes will be, and I thought I had to bad by just jumping out of a plane and hoping to land on my ass." He replied back to me, having me smile at him and hope that would make him feel better.

"If you land of your ass, how are you gonna be able to fight the good fight?" I joked, seeing a small glimmer of hope back there on his face again. It was still not enough for him since he still looked a bit out of it really in how he was gazing at me in worry.

"Where are you gonna go after you drop us off?" He asked me now.

"I'm coming back here first, and then they'll gonna get me over to where you guys are as soon as you guys make it safe." I answered, seeing him eye me then.

"By plane or by car?" He questioned.

"Who knows, probably by plane. I do have my own wings, so I'll have to jump in as well as you guys."I explained, and it made me see that I hit a hard spot in his chest when I told him that, already having me hate myself for mentioning that there might be a possibility for me to jump out of the plane myself. I had to make sure he knew I was going to be okay, but not out in the open like this. So I grabbed his jacket sleeve, not wanting it to be his hand and have someone see us holding hands and think something odd about it.

I pulled him along to an isolated part of the airstrip where no one was, a small shaded area behind one of the bigger planes that were going to be used for supply raids. Once we were within the shadows and were no longer going to be seen by anyone out there since they were beyond too occupied getting ready for the big jump, I grasped his hand tightly within my own hand and I was about to say something to him to calm him. But he pressed his lips to my own, having me freeze within my spot as his other hand was pressing into my neck to hold me there. This was not the kind of kisses we would share in the past, this one had emotion and feeling behind it. He had to find a way to show his feelings for me, and I was not going to deny him what he wanted and what he needed to go.

Once he pulled away from me, I could see the pain in his eyes, thinking that this was going to be the very last time we would end up together, or at least for a short while. I didn't want to think that, but I could see it on his face that it was what was on his mind. That kiss alone gave me goosebumps, not only was his lips so soft, but they were fierce and stern against my own.

"I know this is going to be a shitty time to tell you this," George said to me now, out of breath and sounding a bit urgent, "But I was kind of hoping that you would be my girlfriend."

"You picked a great time to ask me something like that, you fool." I teased him, out of breath myself and seeing him give me a grin now and those pearly white teeth that he would show me when we would be together.

"Better late than ever, bit honestly though. I know I can be a bit of an idiot to deal with and a handful, but you should really know that you make me beyond happy." He explained to me, my grin was hurting my cheeks now since I was smiling so widely that I felt like I was floating on air from what he was telling me, "And maybe…who knows…I can take you out on a proper date."

"Since when do I want proper?" I asked him in almost a teasing manner.

"Since your deserve much more than I could ever give you." He replied, having me sigh and frame his face within my hands.

"I don't want to be with anyone else but with you, Luz." I reassured him in a loving tone now since he wasn't really acting like himself there in front of me before we were going to jump into the war that is going to change our lives forever.

I wanted this with him, this relationship that is good and true. We grew as friends throughout the past two years and had good moments with each other. I never really saw our relationship blossoming beyond that, yet he did. He was more confident in what we had than I was, and I felt bad for not seeing it right in front of me. I reached up to move the helmet out of his face to see him better, the grease on his face and his hair how visible again and it made me smile. I wonder how I fell head over heels for him and how this was making me feel beyond giddy to just being there with him. I only wanted to make sure I was going to take this slow, and hopefully George knew that too.

"How about I take you out on a real date as soon as we both make it past D-Day?" George suggested to me, having me smile at him and blush there was spread onto my cheeks. Of all places to blush and feel young again, it had to be now.

"I would like that." I replied back softly to him, feeling him take his helmet back from my within his hand to have my own hands free now. It sounded like a swell plan, the both of us going on a proper date and it already gave me butterfly within my stomach, "I haven't been on a date in years."

"Then I'll try not to disappoint." He said to me in almost a joking manner, and I took the initiative this time to kiss him on the lips. It was never a real bold thing for me to do in the first place, but once again George was bring it out in me and I had an idea how it really happened.

"You would never do such a thing, George Luz." I murmured against his lips as I moved away from him slightly. He was still holding me close, his hand on my waist and refusing to let me go as he sighed there and closed his eyes. I did too, never seeing him this vulnerable before. Was I was the reason for him to act like this?

"Please be careful, Adaline." He said to me, still sounding so soft and careful about it. He wanted me to make it out of this night alive, to make it through the next month or two. Hell, he wanted me to make it through the war. It killed me to see him act like this and over me, I never wanted that at all with George.

"Don't worry about me, I'm more concerned about you, Luz." I said to him as I felt his grip on my hip tighten when I said this.

"I'm a paratrooper, I can handle what happens to me." He said with a bit more boldness to his tone now as we looked eyes at each other again. I never wanted to have this kind of conversation with him since I knew it would be tearing him up inside.

"Then we're both on the same page," I said to him now, a small smile was on his face now and the spark was back there for me to see. I didn't want him to worry about me, nor did I want to worry about him. We had to make sure we both we going to be okay where we were with each other, "Look, the way I see it, we're both going to be at risk all the time because of this war. So we might as well get over the fact that we want to protect each other."

"Sounds easier said than done." He countered back to me now since I could see he knew where I was going with this.

"We can handle this," I reassured George now as we could hear the officers calling out to their men to get ready for the jump. George had to do and I had to get ready with my plane, both of us grimacing a but since we had no idea when we were going to see each other next.

"I have to go to my plane," I said to him, and yet his hold on me was not loosening a bit. I was hating letting him go as much as the next girlfriend that was seeing her boyfriend leave her. It was funny, calling George Luz my boyfriend now since it felt more secretive than anything. I knew it was going to be frowned upon with the others, from both from the Air Force and now with the army. Would we be I trouble if we let this keep going on? I had to be rational, but then again I had to be able to make the choice myself and live with what was going to happen next.

"I'll see you soon, I promise" I reassured George once more, knowing that he had to hear it from me instead of thinking that I was going to be okay.

"Okay," He replied back, and I knew we were going to have it leave it at that before it would get any worse. I kissed him once more, feeling him kiss me back before I moved away from him, feeling slip his hand from my waist as I started to walk, thinking it would be harder for us is we stay there for more moments. I didn't want to look back since it would feel like it was break my heart from seeing him one last time before this whole night would start.

I had to do my job. I had to be a pilot.

* * *

That night was the darkest night for me, sitting behind the controls of a plane that was carrying soldier towards their drop zone. The headgear was on, my fingers around the wheel, my feet planted on the ground and my hair was hidden. Since I had that talk with the officer, I had to hide the fact that I was a woman and to protect myself from the enemy if I was going to be caught. Clad in my jump gear and ready for anything, I was now in the pilot seat now and ready to send these boys out for war.

I had half the Easy men in my own plane now, and once we took off, no one was really saying a word or two about the whole thing. I even looked back while we were on the ground, seeing each one of the Easy boys getting on the plane with their plus pounds of equipment and struggling to sit down on the small bench they were going to be on for the few hours. I had Doc, Toye, Guarnere, Muck, Winters, Grant, and a couple of others. But I didn't see George, which pained me since I would have no idea if he was going to be okay or not.

"You're doing good with your flying, keep it level and go along the clouds there." Another pilot was with me, the both of us flying together now as I was seeing the big mass of clouds ahead. The plane ride itself was jumpy and rickety because of the wind and the pressure, and we could hear the bombs going off int he distances now as we were itching closer to the drop zone. The closer we got, the more in fear I was getting because of something that could go wrong with the drop. We were ready for anything that would come, and I was keeping a cool head with my flying.

"Oh, Shit." I looked ahead, seeing what was going to be a major problem: the battle in the air. The Germans saw our planes from the ground and now they were shooting at us, yet we had plenty of planes flying around now and soldiers were now dropping in their won DZ's. I felt the wheel steady as we could see the explosions going off around us, trying to hit us and get our plane down. I knew this was going to happen, but it was one thing to be prepped on it and another to live through it. It was a reminder that I was now in a fighter plane like before in Benning or now Aldbourne for training, but this was a huge plane that was just trying to get to the right spot for the men to jump out of.

My friends.

"We have another few minutes until we hit our DZ, do not lose this altitude or else we will be in big trouble." I pilot said to me now as I nodded and kept our plane in the right spot, yet it was easier said than done. The more I tried to keep it level, the less control I was getting on the plane alone and It was making the plane more rocky in the air. I looked over to the left through the window out into the open air, seeing one plane already hit and spiraling down to hit the field below in a cascade of fire and fuel. I didn't want that to be our plane, I wasn't going to let me be my plane. God, I hoped George was okay.

I had to be okay.

"If we don't get any higher we're not gonna make it," One of the other officers in the cockpit explained as I did see that we were lower than we should, all because of the bombs from below were shooting up in our direction. We only had one more minute until we are at the right spot to let the men jump, and yet it was harder now. The other pilot tapped me on the shoulder now, his single for me to slide the wheel over to him now for him to take control.

"Give me a try at it." He said to me, having me look at him in shock now as another bomb went off near us and the plane shook.

"You're doing good, nothing wrong with how you're flying." He reassured me now since it felt like I was giving him a dirty look for wanting him to take over the flying. Hell, it would be better for him to fly than me anyways. He took over, having me get up from the seat and almost lose my footing from the jolt of the plane and its movements as we were close to another bombing. I stayed behind him as he was flying the plane now as he looked at the area ahead, then seeing him reach up to flip the switch, the bulb behind us going red to indicate the paratroopers to get up and prep to get ready. I heard Winters now behind me, calling out the instructions and commands.

"Get ready! Stand up! Hook up! Equipment check! Sound off or equipment check!" He was yelling these things over the loud roar of the engine that was taking over the rest of the sounds along with the bombs and explosions.

"Oh god, the other plan is hit." My head shot over to where they were talking about. I could see the plane that they were looking at in horror now, the engine was on fire and it looked like big trouble for them now as I prayed that it was not one of our planes…please God. Don't let it be George.

"We gotta get some altitude." One of our pilots said in frustration.

"They can't jump at this speed!" It was about to be beyond chaotic now since we were going to fast and we were too low. Our men were not going to survive this, I could tell and it was giving me the worst fear.

"They have to go now or else we are going to be hit with them!" The first pilot said over the engine noise as he looked over at me now, nodding at me once. I knew that they had to jump too since this was the only shot they had to ever getting on the ground. I looked over at the other switch, flicking it with my fingers and seeing the bulb going green. They were about to jump it was time. I stayed still by the chair now as I looked behind me as the men were walking over to the edge of the opening, seeing the outside world from the plane and the wind was gushing through the plane now.

Winters was the first one to jump, having me watch in both horror and in fear as he was close tot he edge of the plane and he looked at me once. I could see the leader there in his face, and he was ready to take that leap. I didn't know what else to do at that moment but see him nod at me, showing that he knew what he was doing and I nodded back. I had no words for him, since I didn't think they were going to be enough words to tell him what I was beyond scared for him and the rest of the men that were leaping into the thing air.

He gave me a small smile before he jumped, and Doc was right behind him. He looked more hesitant like he was about to he sick from what was going on. God, he looked like a timid puppy there in front of me as he gave me a small smile before jumping out too. I was about see who was behind him when the plane shook, having me almost lose my footing and the slip my grip from the back of the seat that I was in. They were all going out, one by one and descending to the earth. When w as I going to see them again? Was that my only chance to say goodbye? Before I knew it, no one was left.

They were gone.

"O'Malley, get back in the seat, we're circling back to England before we can get in any more trouble!' I had no choice in the matter really since the rest of the men were already far gone now, maybe they already landed as I got my way back in my previous seat and we started to hook to the left to get out of the way of the firing and dodge the bullets.

"What about Easy? I'm assigned to them!" I said to him over the noise. Where was I going to end up? How was I going to find my way back now?

"We'll figure something out, just hang tight and hold onto something." He explained to me now as I was feeling worse about leaving the boys behind. I was somewhat safe within my plane, yet they were exposed out in the open without anyone aiding them.

We were flying back to England, and they were stuck in France.


	11. Chapter 11

I remember that whole night of driving and flying, and not to mention the rousing noise that we heard coming through the area since bombs were still going off. But I was assigned to be back with Easy, whoever they may be. But there I was, sitting in the front of a truck with another driver as we were sneaking our way back into France from England, consisting of another flight that had us land in a safe airstrip in France before I recovered a truck and a jeep in the back, a long ass drive if I may say so myself. The driver I was with, a young man by the name of Matthews who was assigned to I Company, volunteered to drive the first part of the journey and I would take over on the second part. We had one jeep in the back, using it as storage as we made our way over to our companies and I was thinking I was going to be using that jeep myself. But there was no other way since now planes were being shot down left and right and we had to real sense as to if we were going to make it alive. I was more worried about Easy than anything, wondering if any of them got hurt from the jump and if they found each other. From how the flight went, they were scattered.

Scared out of their minds.

We were getting closure to Normandy by the time we were driving and the darkness that still over us in the area. I was too zoned out when I heard something next to me.

"Hang on a second." I saw Matthew slowing down and what was going on ahead. We could see some kind of commotion out there, looking more like a checkpoint than anything really as I felt like we were about to head into a trap. I peered closer, losing my sense of cool when I saw who it was.

Germans.

"Shit." I whispered in a panic, knowing that we were ultimately going to be screwed. We were not going to make it pass this stop now since there were about 5 of those men there with guns and one two of us there in one bigger truck and a jeep behind it. I looked over at Matthew now, who had no idea what we were going to do since he too looked scared and like he was about to shit his pants.

"We need a plan or else we're gonna be eating bullets." he said to me in a panicked manner as we were inching closer to the point now, the German soldiers seeing us and having their guns in their hands looked more tunes than ever. I had to think of something for the both of us, and I had to think quick. I looked over to the left of the main road, seeing a small path that was crooked and jagged, but moved away from the main road of course. So I grinned, I had a plan in my head.

"Stop the truck." I said to him, seeing him look at me with wide eyes now.

"What?" He asked me.

"Do it. Now!" I said to him, watching him slow and stop the truck from ing any further now. He placed it in the parking set, and the headlights were beaming at the Germans, two of which were walking our way now with curious eyes as to what they were seeing.

"Get in the back of the car, get your gear." I warned him now as I kept my eyes on the Germans who were still walking over to him now, "Get the jeep started and unlock the back doors."

"Got it." He replied, scurrying back to the jeep behind us now as I walked backwards slowly, trying not to be seen and needing to get away myself really. I could hear him unhingin' the jeep from the restraints in haste, making me glad he was kind of on the same page. Once I was in the back of the truck, the jeep engine was already going and the driver was unhooking the locks on the doors. We heard the Germans talking, knocking on the driver's window as I snuck into the drivers' seat and placed my hands on the wheel. I didn't want to be a POW, not in the first night of the freaking war and when I knew I had a place to go to. I had more on my plate than the average soldier would, and I tried really hard to think of the positivity of it all though it was harder than I thought it would be.

"We have to bolt." I said to him as he hopped in the passenger seat.

"You crazy?!" He asked me now as the banging on the door was getting louder and more intense. The Germans were catching on that something was up.

"We have no choice, we have to get out now." I said to him now as more of the German soldiers were talking,g getting closer to the back doors now as I saw him reach in the back and grab the spare rifle that was there, cocking it and having it ready and he was looking over at me now. I knew he was young, younger than me really, but then again I was young too with a child already. This driver, Matthews, he had to have been only 22 years old, almost like a baby in my eyes. He looked petrified, and I felt like I had to be the reasonable one between the two of us now.

"Ready?" I asked him, now hearing the shouting of the Germans now outside of the truck and abridging on the sides now to see who was in there. He nodded his head at me, making me look ahead at the closed back door and breathe out slowly. I had to make sure I was in the right place within my mind so that I could get myself and Matthews out of there alive. Within one second, I stepped on the breaks and we floored it out of the back of the truck now.

We flew in the air, and I kept my foot on the peddle.

We had a bit of a gap in the air, but we hit the floor within seconds and I felt my head slam onto the whole before I focused in on what was going on. My head was in pain, and yet I was swerving the jeep to the right now and finding my way onto the small dirt path that I found on the side of the road. The Germans were too frazzled with what was going on, and I was too frazzled myself to deal with the blood I was feeling coming dome from my forehead from the impact from the wheel.

Once we were on the path, hearing the Germans yelling at us and trying to shoot us, I was pushing down on the pedal even more since they were trying to kill us. But I knew I was faster, much faster than him really since we were in the clear before we knew it.

It was something that neither one of us taught we would ever pull off, and yet there we were. It was thrilling to me really, to be able to speed through some deserted forest area now in a jeep with another soldier and neither one of us was hurt, well, hurt enough to be concerned. Even Matthews looked surprised when e were driving, a shocked smile on his face and he looked at me now with a grin, having me still concentrate on the driving and the guiding through the forest in France now.

"Holy shit…Holy shit!" He said over and over now as I wanted to grin from our accomplishment, but nothing really happen there. I was only trying to make sure we weren't going to die.

"You slammed your head hard, you wanna pull over and switch?" He asked me now as he was seeing the trickling blood that was going down the side of my face now and almost near my jaw. I shook my head, thinking that if we were moving at this pace with me driving, then we would be in the clear in no time.

"Where did they say there were no Germans?" I asked him, seeing him shuffle around a bit in his jacket and pull out the map that was in his jacket pocket near the front. He unfolded it and was looking at it for a bit before he pointed.

"We're about 150 miles out now, we keep head East and we can make it in no time." He explained to me, having me a nod and place my compass on the top of the jeep where I could see, making sure we were in going in the right direction. It was going to be a very long night for me, with a splitting headache and my mind was running with endless hopes that we were going to make it to the others in Normandy. We still had a ways to go, but I wasn't going to keel over and die. Not yet.

* * *

By the time we cleared the forest and were back on the regular road again, I knew we were deep in France now and I was trying to follow the street signs that were around to make sure we were going in the right direction. Matthews was helping me on this too, following the maps now and keeping me alert through most of the road and making sure I was doing okay. He had spare aspirin to give me sine he knew that this point I was about collapse from the pain of the impact on my head. Luckily the pain was less now because of the drugs he gave me, and I thank him as we were still driving along and trying to pass the time.

We were hitting another farm town when I saw a soldier there, walking along the road and he was alone showing no sign of a rifle there on his shoddier, but a satchel instead. He was walking slowly, and once he heard our jeep coming, I saw him run over to the side of the road as if he was trying to find some way to hide. But I looked, not thinking that it was a German walking by himself now really. Matthews saw it too, having me see him sit up a bit in his seat and look with his own young eye.

"Is that an American?" He asked me, having me slow down on the jeep speed for a bit to see if he was seeing what I was seeing. It didn't look like nor German soldier with his outfit on, and I was thinking that he was, in fact, an American. I slowed the jeep over to where he was since he was still hiding from me and thinking that he wasn't going to be found.

"Flash!" I said to him, thinking that he was going to respond to it. He perked up then, hearing the American phrase and seeing his head pop up from the tall grass he was hiding behind it. I grinned and sighed in relief from seeing his face as he got up completely and walked out to be next to us in the jeep.

"Adaline?" He asked me in a sigh of relief.

"Eugene, you okay?" I asked him in a panic, since the last time I saw him was on the plane and he jumped out. But now he looked okay, beyond okay really since he was walking on the road alone and looking like he knew where he was going really, compared to me since I knew no french at all.

"I should be asking you, you're bleedin'." he said to me, walking over within seconds and reaching into his satchel and then bringing out one of his gauzes and then reached up to grab my helmet to move it out of the way. But I stopped him, seeing him look at me now in confusion.

"Keep it on," I said to him now, both Eugene and Matthews looking at me now with confused looks, "Better for me to hide being female than anything."

"What are you talking about?" Matthews asked as Eugene was trying to work around it and get my blood off my face now.

"They don't want the Germans to find out I'm a female," I said to them both as I squinted from the rubbing alcohol that Eugene was using me my cut, "I could be more of a liability, and it would be worse for me if they caught me."

"Shit," Matthews muttered as Eugene pulled away from me now and scanned me up and down with his dark eyes and the look of a medic already working for him.

"You'll be okay with that, Adaline." he explained to me now as I motioned to the map that Matthews was holding with my spare hand that was not on the wheel.

"You know where we're going?" I asked him, thinking that he would have some kind of idea as tow here we were supposed to end up with the rest of Easy.

"Sainte-Mère- Èglise." He replied, having me look at him in shock since he said to so well, almost like he was French himself, "It's this way, another 50 miles or so."

"Hop on, we can drive there and get there faster." I said to him, seeing him go over to the back in the open space there and get inside. I got the jeep moving again, having me truck along the road now as the cool breeze was going through us roughly now when I looked back at Eugene briefly.

"Sine when do you know French?" I asked him in wonder now, seeing him eye me with his eyes and still look cool about it.

"Since I speak and read the language, remember I told you I was from Louisiana?" He asked me over the jeep engine. I nodded, "Well, I grew up learning French since Louisiana is a French territory."

"I didn't know that." Matthews said in shock.

"Lot of people don't. It's Cajun country where I'm from, and we know French from the moment we're born." Eugene replied back to us both, making me smile.

"You[re full of surprises, Eugene." I commented to him, keeping my eyes on the road and hearing Matthew chuckle then.

"Coming from the driver who busted us from almost getting caught and killed by a squad of Germans." he said in a snort, having me eye him now as Eugene was leaning over to see my face while I was still on the road.

"You did that?" Eugene asked me in an amused tone. I had to roll my eyes at that, thinking that he was looking at me in a new sight.

"You think I was just a shy driver, Eugene?" I asked him a joking tone, hearing Matthew chuckle as we kept driving along the road now and we were getting closer to the rest of the men and the safety that would be there waiting for us. I only hoped that we are going to find the others there, whoever it may be.

I was just hoping to make it through my first night of war alive.

* * *

The sun was slowly coming over us as we were making our way into what seemed like another set of forest tracks. Matthew was looked around the whole time, not saying a word as Eugene was giving me directions there and not missing a beat on it. I was getting rid as we were driving, but then again I was still set on there in one piece and making sure Matthew and Eugene were going to be okay too.

Once we were going along the muddy road, I could see more and more American soldiers walking along the path now, going the same way, in which I was getting some kind of clear thought that they were being sent in some direction. It made me wonder if we should head in the direction too. I slowed down when I saw a pair of privates walking together, looking tired from their own journey.

"Hey," I called to them, seeing them both look at me now, "Where are you boys heading?"

"They didn't say." One replied in a gruff manner.

"Who didn't say?" Eugene asked from his spot in the back seat.

"The guys who pointed us in this direction. There's a farmhouse up ahead where we're supposed to go, whether we are meant to be there or not," He replied, eyeing my jeep up and down now, "Wanna give us a lift?"

"You boys need the walk," I replied, hearing him gruff at me again as I sped up the jeep and kept going down the road now, "I guess we're heading to this farmhouse that they were talking about."

"You think our guys will be there?" Eugene asked me.

"Who knows, maybe a couple of them," I replied, seeing Matthews eye the soldiers some more like he was looking for his own company, "I think your buddies will be there."

"You think so?" He asked me, now looking over at me and having me see the sense of dread there on his face. He looked like he was about to be sick himself, like he did have nowhere else to go really and he was stuck with us. I didn't want that for him since our night was as smooth as I thought it was going to be.

"I know so."

* * *

We reached the far end of what was a farmhouse, but it looked like it was in shambles. Men were al around, some I had no idea who belonged with which company and got me scared as we drove into the courtyard and men moving out of the way as we came into the area. I stopped the jeep near one of the barn doors, in which I could hear men talking to each other and finding their own Companies, even some looking like they were alone then without anyone to report to.

"You see your company, Matthews?" I asked him as we all got out of the jeep, Eugene coming over to me now as Matthews was scanning the area with his eyes.

"Not yet, but I'll go check with the officers. I'll be fine from here, Adaline." he said to me now as he walked away with a smile on his face and a pep in his step. I smiled too, only thinking of the worst when he was thinking of the positive. It was just Eugene and I now, the boy of us looking around for a few seconds before I heard it, the infamous cry from one of my friends.

"Oi! Adaline! Ain't ya supposed to be in a plane by now?" It was Liebgott, and it was with some of the others in Easy and it made me smile in relief to see that he was okay. I walked over there, Eugene right behind me as I was going straight over to Joe and I guide him without thinking twice. He grew on me, hell they all did as Joe held me back with his skinny arms and he seemed more surprised about it that I was.

"Hey, hey I'm okay. I'm okay." Joe reassured me, being genuine for once in our relationship instead of his cocky self and full of it. I was just glad I saw another member of Easy and that they made it alive from the plane.

"I thought of the worst with you boys," I confessed him, pulling back and seeing him look at me up and down now.

"Why would you? We're paratroopers, remember?" Joe asked me in a cocky kind of way, having me grin at him and see that he was trying to make our reunion lighter and less of a tragic one, "Hell, I almost lost my own leg from landing in a tree."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I'm here now, ain't I?" He asked me with a shrug of his shoulders. I nodded since there was nothing more to discuss really.

"I guess so," I replied to him, looking around the courtyard again to see where I could find the others and make sure they were okay too.

"You seen anyone else from Easy?" Eugene asked Joe as I was searching, but it was no luck. I was not seeing another Easy soldier in sight, which was scaring me all the more.

"Not yet, just a few of us. Guys are sayin' that more and more are coming in." Joe answered him now as he grabbed a seat over by the pile of hay.

"No officers? None from Easy?" Eugene asked him.

"Not one, Doc." Joe replied, sounding a bit grimmer about it than he did before. I looked back at the two of them now, thinking that we were going to be stuck there at the barn now until we knew more Easy member that would be coming through that gate that we just came through. We had to wait, yet again.

Great.

* * *

"Is it turning over yet?" I asked, looking up and over the top of the second jeep that rolled into the courtyard and decided to break down there in front of me, giving me something to do as Eugene went off to help with the other combat medics on any wounded soldiers, and Joe just being the look out for Easy members that would pop in from the front. Instead of me sitting on my butt and thinking of the absolute worst, I had to make sure I was going to keep myself occupied with being a mechanic and driver if they needed one, since clearly there was no plane around for me to fly. Compared to the rest of the guys, I was more of a sitting duck really since I had no assigned to really fulfill.

"Not yet, give it another try." I heard the soldier that was helping me out with the engine, seeing him maneuver something on the engine block before I turned it over again. The engine gave a small sputter and then roar to life, having me grin as the soldier placed the hood back down on the jeep before walking over to me.

"Thanks." He said in a grin as I got out of the jeep, seeing another round of men coming through the opening gate of the courtyard.

"You got it. Just make sure you keep putting in oil in it before it goes all Jerry Rig on you." I reminded him, seeing him nod as I looked back to the gate. I grinned, noting that more Easy men were coming through the gate now. I walked over to the are now, hoping to see a more familiar face and have the sense of dread go away now. I had to have looked like an idiot there, standing like a wife waiting for her husband to come back from war. But it had to be done since I was part of this company now and I had nowhere else to go.

"Adaline O'Malley?" I heard my name being called, which scared me since no one around here was freaking out because I was a female. But I looked to see a big guy, taller than me and built like a footballer, walking over to me now with pristine blond hair and bright blue eyes that almost made me remember the Atlantic Ocean in the summer time.

"Yes?" I asked him, seeing him grin at me now as he held out his hand for me to shake.

"We haven't met, but the boys talked about you a lot before we got on the plane. I'm Buck Compton, 2nd Lieutenant of Easy." He introduced himself as I shook his hand. Even his smile reminded me of the men I would see in the movies.

"Adaline, O'Malley, Air Force." I said to him, seeing him raise his eyebrows at me in shock.

"So it is true: you're a pilot." He said as a statement.

"Not at the moment, more like the mechanic and driver for Easy." I said to him now, hearing him chuckle.

"Good to know." He replied to me now as we heard more men coming in now by the dozens. We both looked over in that direction now. Thankfully, I saw Winters, Lipton, Guarnere, Malarky, and Toye, along with others who were in other Companies that I didn't know. It made me sigh in relief now as I walked over to them and Buck next to me.

"What's going on?" Buck asked Winters as the soldiers were saying hi to one another and I saw Toye grin at me, walking over to give me a hug. Like the others in that group, he looked safe and unharmed.

"I didn't think we would see you out here this soon." He commented to me.

"I had to make my way back to you guys somehow." I explained to him.

"Not sure, Five'll get you ten it's something to do with that." Buck explained to Winters as we all heard a gunshot, all of us not moving and looking in that direction now. It sounded close, too close for me to feel safe about it.

"Yeah..." Winters trailed off.

"It's good to see you, Dick." Buck commented.

"You too, Buck. What's the situation?" He asked now as I walked over to listen in on the conversation.

"Not good. 90% of the men are still unaccounted for." Buck explained, having me grimace a bit now from hearing that number. That was far too high for me to think about and feel okay with. I wanted it to be lower to be safe about it, and George could be in that 90% of the men. I was worried now, yet being in the Air Force I was not meant to be called to be worried.

"Oh, oh thank God." I whirled around at the voice, having me gasp out in relief as I saw George there, at the mouth of the gate and looking at me with a wave of relief on his face. I walked over to him now, not wanting to break out into a run and look foolish now as He grinned at me, having me smile since it looked like he survived himself. The stupid man was haunting my mind since I let him go in England for his plane. We collided in the middle now, hugging each other and not letting each other go. I knew I was going to have to let him go plenty of time in the war since he would have to go where I was not allowed to follow, and vice versa. But this was still enough for me to get through the day, to know that he was alive and he was holding me close in relief.

"You're okay," he whispered into my hair as we were still holding each other close. I pulled away, not wanting to have us exposed in front of the others, but he grinned at me with his cheeky grin of relief. I really wanted to kiss him, hell, hold his hand and have those butterflies and that warmth back, but that was going to have to wait for now.

"I'm glad you're okay, Luz." I said to him now, seeing him shake his head.

"I'm more glad that you're okay. You and me worried," He explained, having me raise an eyebrow at him.

"I thought we talked about this," I said back, knowing we talked about how we both were going to be in danger every once in awhile this war.

"I know, I know," He said back, the lightness there on his face and in his voice, "But I can't help it."

My first day at the freaking war, and I was going through enough as it was.


	12. Chapter 12

Things that day were still moving slowly and surely now as more and more members of Easy were coming and they were getting ready for the assault that was already happening on the other side of the hill. All they could tell me was that they were going to take care of the Germans that were coming on that part of the front now, leaving me to stay behind and help out with any vehicles that were there and needed for the battle. I was glad I wasn't going to be anywhere near the battle and where anything could go wrong. But then again, I hated being able to wait and stay behind while the others were going off to their first real fight. it was one thing that we made it to our meeting place in one piece, but it was also another thing that bullet were now going to fly. I had to think of a way to help them, really help them instead of being left behind.

"Anyone seen O'Malley?" I was talking with some of the other drivers that were there in the courtyard, all of us were trying to figure out what to do at that moment since we were sitting ducks there and not having anything to do. I looked right behind me now to see Winters walking over to me now, something in his hand and having me look at him in confusion now as he was giving me the look of determination, like he was actually going to be the one who was leading us to the battle now.

"What's going on, sir?" I asked him as he approached me as we were still in the courtyard and the other soldiers around us were getting ready. Winters now had his helmet on and his rifle on his shoulder, having me worry about him too since he was also kind to me.

"I talked to some of the other officers about coming in and out of the area when it comes to the jeeps," he explained to me, "Apparently no one goes in and out until we can get the area cleared and under our control."

"So, I'm stuck here then, sir?" I asked, seeing him nod his head and I sighed slowly, " Alright, then what can I do here to help?"

"All they would want you to do at this point on is to stay put and try not to get hurt…or in the way of the battle that is ahead." he explained, having me now look at him in confusion and a bit offended since he was practically telling me to sit this one out and not get my own hands dirty.

"Their words, not mine. I have no doubt you can help in any way you can, but they would think of your as some kind of liability when it comes to the war and you being a part of the Air Force." He explained to me, seeing the small amount of hurt on my face now and having me really wish that I could find whoever thought of me as a liability and knock some of sense into him. I didn't want to be seen as a liability, not to anyone since it would leave a bad mark and bad kind of rub off of it.

"I found something for you, since I know you'll rather good with mechanics, much better than me and most of the men," He explained, now handing me the small bundle that was in his hand. H reached over with it, placing it in my hand and I felt some heavens in it, along with hearing some meat clicking together. It made me look in wonder at the bundle now as I unwrapped the top, seeing the falls reveal what was inside. Tools.

"I found them near the officer's room that they made, someone left it behind and I figured you would need some tools for the war, I doubted anyone was going to need to use them since we hardly have any mechanics running around here," Winters explained to me now as I slowly had a smile on my face, reaching down to touch the tools with my hands.

I was able to have my own sense of balance again when I had a tool in my hand, it would make me get my mind starlight again and have some sense of control over my life again. Since I signed my life away, on the other hand, that was a compromise really since I was having to deal with the chaos and the fast motions of war, I had no real time to sit and down and find my anchor again. And now, with what I was having with George, that was making the grasp on my anchor weaker and weaker.

"Thank you, sir." I thanked him, not wanting to look more like an idiot when it came to just standing there and having the tools in my hand without saying a word or two about it, "I can use these and place them to good use."

"I figured you would," He replied to me now as I rolled the bundle back up and placed it under my arm, "And once we get word that it's safe to move out from the area, we can get you back over to England and back with the Air Force.

"They don't want me to stay and help Easy Company, sir?" I asked him.

"Not at the moment, they'll need you for more flying missions than anything." Winters answered me, having me see him then give me a small smile before he looked behind me, having me look and see the other that were about to get ready for the battle that was ahead. I hated that I was going to have to stay behind, but then again I had no real reason to be out there because I was not trained for that. I was only a pilot and mechanic, and they wouldn't want to use me for something like that in the future. It was like they said, I was a liability, nothing more or less.

"I suggest you stay here and help out around here with the jeeps, and I'll try to see if we can get you back to England before you know it." Winters explained as he looked back, having me smile and nod my head once.

"Of course, sir. Thanks." I thanked him, seeing him give me another smile before he started walking away. I moved the bundle from under my arm again. holding it in both of my hands now and taking in another deep breath. When it came to what I was doing in this war, I had to learn how to be able to do what I had to do in order to both get by without any heads turning, to just to survive. I didn't know which one I had to do within that moment, but either way I had to get ready to work my ass off just to get through that current day.

"Okay," I said to myself now as I was once again alone in the courtyard, "Let's find some work."

* * *

I had to get used to it: the sound of the battle. All that was happening around the area as I was trying to keep myself busy was the sound of the bullets flying left and right. I was trying not to think of the worst that could happen to my friends out there, since thinking about it would make me go insane. I knew this was going to have to happen to em since I signed up, then again I didn't think I would really be having some kind of effect from it. Was it because I was so close to the battle that I could even feel the vibrations of the gunshots, or even the thought of my friends that I grew close to were the ones shooting or dodging the bullets. If I was just some other mechanic with no friends out here, then I wouldn't have been affected. But it was not the case because the faces of my friends were coming into my head now and it was making me feel sick to my stomach.

I could see Eugene's kind face, Joe's lanky one with his smirk there, Winters and how he seemed to carry himself calmly and with grace, and also most of the others. I hated that I grew close to them, that I was worried about them like I was their mother, they knew how to take good care of themselves since they were the soldiers. I was on a different playing field, but it was worse because of George Luz and how I was liking him more and more

Damn him.

Was it because we were so close as friends, how he would see past the shyness that I was trying to keep up for this very reason. The one real reason I didn't want to be close was only because I was already hating the fact that I suffering through enough with the death of my husband. It made me really wonder if I was willing to go through the same thing again, the aching heartbreak that I had for months and months again. I hated those endless nights, the constant nightmares of my husband still being awake and being in the end next to me. I thought they were real, beyond real to the point of making me think I was going insane from those nights and when I would close my eyes and see him there.

Did I want that with him?

I have thought about it before, when we were just talking together and how ti felt so different to talk to him other than talking to the others in Easy. With him, there was really a great sense of innocence there with how he would smile at me and no longer feel like I was being judged. And it wasn't that the others weren't doing the same, but then again were in fact a bit taken back with me since I was the first female that they have seen in what would be months. It as just different with George, but it was a good different. I only hoped that something positive would come out this, since every time I would see him everything else around us would melt away and not even be in existence. It was the same with Adam, and now it was slowly happening with George Luz from Rhode Island.

There had to a sense of reality that and to settle in, a sense of right and wrong. What we were doing, the two of us away from prying and curious eyes, it could considered wrong and we could be in trouble. Was it worth it? Then this would all be in vein since I was doing this for Beth. I didn't want to go home with my tail between my legs. I hated needing to have the sense of pride within me since I may be shy, but I was not going to be a pushover about certain things. It was just too complicated in this situation since I was part of the Air Force, not the army. I only hoped that I was going to be beyond careful with what was going to be ahead of us now, whether it was going to be good or bad.

* * *

The night was finally coming over us now, and I just got word that we won that battle out there on the field. We were successful in the town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, a small and stoic little place that had a chapel on the outside with the wounded already sitting there along the chapel walls. The moon was hanging high, and the aftermath of the first round of war was around us now as soldiers were finding their own Companies and getting ready to leave. Easy was going to head over to another town, Culoville to be precise, and I was going to leave them as soon as they were about to leave.

It felt better to now that the boys were coming back, all of which were alive and well. Joe Toye almost got hit by a regained, twice, in which he described it as shitty luck when they all came back. Popeye was shot in the butt, poor guy, and he was going to be taken to one of the army hospitals back in England, so that's when I volunteered to take him myself in the jeep I drove. I knew we were going to be safe there I was heading back to England, so taking Popeye would be good enough for me. But then again, I didn't want to leave the others behind.

I was getting the jeep ready for my take off down the road and making sure there was enough room I the back for Popeye. I was parked along the chapel wall as some of the other medics were looking at the injured ones. I was going to leave in a few minutes with popped, whom was getting treated by Doc over by the other end of the chapel, having me grin and see some of the bitterness that was on his face from Doc trying to mend his ass from the clean shot and piercing of the skin. Hell, I could hear him mutter some curse words here and there from the mending, and I couldn't help but wonder how Doc was handling the awkwardness of dabbing Popeye's ass with ointment and rubbing alcohol.

My jeep was in fact near one of the bigger trucks that had some of the Easy men in, eating their meal that they were making just to pass the time, yet it was interrupted once again by someone making their way through the truck and I could hear it since the flap was thin enough for me to hear the conversations.

"Come on, What?" Malarky asked.

"I don't wanna die in the back of this damn truck, that's what!" LIebgott replied in a bitter manner now, having me hear him move around and over to the opening of the truck with the flaps.

"Come on, you're stepping on the legs!" Toye argued with him as Liebgott opened the flaps and breathed out of the truck and into the air.

"Jesus! Get me outta here!" He said, then looking over to the group inside of the truck again, "Hey, grab me that extra can of soup, will ya?"

"What for? You still hungry after what Malarky made?" Guarnere said in a joking manner.

"Naw, it's for Adaline. Now give it before I slug you're fuckin' mouth, Gonorrhea." Joe replied back to him in almost a snarl as I perked up from hearing him call my name out in the conversation. He was given a cup of soup and he started to climb his way down from the flap now and of the truck.

"Go to hell, jackass." Guarnere barked back at him as Joe started walking over to where I was as I got the hood back down and wiped down my hands again. He had the cup in his hand, seeing a bit of steam coming out of the cup and I saw him grin at me.

"You hungry? I figured you needed a meal in ya," Joe explained to me as he handed over the cup to me like come kind of peace offering. I took it within my hands, feeling the warmth of the soup coming through the tin can and onto my fingers and it made me feel a bit better about the whole situation that night.

"Thank you, what's in it?" I asked him, peering into the soup and thinking of what could be in there. The scent was not that bad, but then again I was already hungry and the small amount of rations that they gave us.

"I doubt you really wanna know since it would make you sick thinking about it," Joe commented to me now as I eyed him then. It looked like he was telling the truth to me than, and I couldn't help but chuckle at him now as Doc was bringing Popeye over now, his arm around the man's waist and Popeye squinting in pain now from every hobble that they took.

"Here ya go, Robert. You'll rest up before you know it." Doc reassured him as he helped him onto the jeep, "They got more medicine than I'll ever had in my one satchel."

"Oh, Christ Doc. Call me Popeye like everyone else will ya?" Popeye asked him in annoyance as he was placed there in the jeep and he sighed in relief from not being able to walk anymore.

"Don't argue, or else I'll make sure your trip to England will be bumpier," Doc reassured him in a stern manner as he then walked over to me now, "You know who's taking him back?"

"I am, actually." I replied, the both of them now looking at me in a bit of shock, I was still holding the cup in my hand, in which I finally took a small sip and felt the warm soup going down my throat and it tasted kind of like lukewarm soup. It was okay, but then again it was not great enough for me.

"You're leavin' us?" Joe asked me now, Doc looking just as confused too with what I told them and how I was just remaining calm about it. it was like they were hurt about what I was doing, that I was leaving them all behind.

"I kind of have to, Joe," I explained to him calmly, yet the look on his face was both of fatigue and confusion, "They want me to head back to England and help out there. Maybe fly a plane or two if I'm lucky."

"Why can't you stay here with us?" Doc asked me now with a smaller voice than Joe.

"I'm still in the Air Force, Doc. Technically I can't be working and staying with you boys in the army unless it's for a good reason." I explained to him now, seeing him still looking a bit confused about it. I didn't think they would be this hurt about it since they are the ones who were going to stay here and keep fighting, and yet it was like I was insulting them in front of their faces.

"And they think you driving our sorry asses around Europe isn't a good enough excuse for us to keep you?" Joe asked me now, shrugging his shoulders as I eyed him.

"Keep me? What, like I'm a doll or something?" I asked him, seeing Doc shoot his eyes over at Joe now who looked like he was about to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. He even stammered a bit really since I felt like I was giving him a look that I would give Beth when she was in trouble or said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"No…not really…." Joe trailed off a bit now as he then averted his eyes from me now as I smiled at him.

"That's what I thought." I said to them both now as I then moved to look back at the jeep now and Popeye who was still sitting in the back now in an awkward position he was in.

"How long of a drive is this gonna take, Adaline? Am I gonna have a sore and sleepy ass when we get there?" He asked me in almost a mourning kind of manner, having me chuckle at him now in amusement since he was acting like a teenager.

"Only several hours, Popeye. You can sleep on the way over if you want." I answered him, seeing him grin.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He replied back in a smooth way as threw my bundled tools that Winters gave me earlier in the passenger seat and then hearing the other two shuffle a bit behind me.

"You thinkin' of coming back to see us sometime soon?" Doc asked me, a bit more sheepishly really since they both were standing now in front of my jeep like they were sending me off.

"It's up to my officers in the Air Force," I reminded them now, "I would like to stay here as much as the next person and drive your sorry asses around, there's nothing else for me here."

"What are you talkin' about?" Joe asked, not clearly catching on with what she really was.

"I'm not a soldier like you, or a medic like Doc here," I explained to him, then pointing to Doc when he was mentioned,"I'm just a driver here in the army, and you know they won't let me fly out on my own since I'm already considered a liability."

"Liability?" Doc asked me now, his eyebrows knitted in confusion there from what I was saying. I didn't say anything really since I knew the conversation was going to be going around in circles, over and circle again.

"Look, I need to get Popeye to the hospital in England and make sure that I don't get yelled at by my superiors. Hopefully, I can come back to you boys and help you out in any way that I can." I explained to them both again as I was about to hop into the jeep now.

"Well, did you ever think of tellin' Luz where you're going?" Joe asked me now, having em free for a moment since this was the first time I was really thinking about George and how he was going to feel about me leaving him and the rest of the guys there. How was that conversation going to happen anyways? But that already started happening when I heard another voice away from the four of us.

"You're leaving?" I cringed, knowing that voice and I slowly looked, Joe and Doc looking as well, over to see George Luz there, looking already like he was in pain from what he was hearing. I already hated being away from him, and now it was going to be another thing to tell him what was going on with me and where was supposed to go now.

"Come on, Joe. We need to head back to the others anyways, I think Winters is coming this way." Doc said in a low tone, both Joe and Doc then moving out of the way and back over to the main truck as George and I were till locking eyes with one another. I didn't notice the other two moving away from us now, and I walked over to where George was a bit to see him still looking at me with a bit of shock there on his face. Even in the aftermath of the first battle, with sweat and grease on his face, he still looked rather handsome there in front of me now as I found my voice again.

"They want me to head back to England." I explained to him, seeing him slowly nod his head as it was seeping under his skin and into his brain.

"I figured they would want you to get away from here, from all the fighting." He explained to me softly, a soft chuckle on his face now as he was staring at me. It pained me, I knew it was paining him too, but then again we had a job to do in order to get through this war.

"I'll be okay though, I'll be with the others at the Air Force base." I reassured him, seeing him still give me that soft smile that I knew he was using as a way of hiding that he was in fact scared for me. I could see he was, and yet he was covering it with his smile and his jokes. He was human after all, and I was too.

"I know you'll be okay, Adaline," He started, his voice was still soft, "I just…"

"Want me here, with you." I ended it for him, seeing him drill his eyes into my own now as I then sighed and walked over to him now close enough where no one else was going to hear our conversation.

"George, what are we doing?" I asked him softly, "The two of us doing this while we are at war, in a foreign place…this is insane."

"You sound like you regret it." Georg said to me then, his voice sounding a bit wavy now from what he was hearing. I shook my head then, my hair flowing in the pool wind that was there in the dead of night as others were walking past us without knowing what we were talking about.

"I would never take anything back with you, George. I just…I don't want either of us to be in trouble with what is going on here." I explained to him carefully now, "And I know it's not like we're kissing in public, or proclaiming our feelings from on top of a mountain for all to hear, but it's another thing that we both could be discharged or get a court martial because of that."

"And I do think of that too, Adaline," George said to me now, placing his fingers against my jacket sleeve, in which I knew it was going to be the closest thing to holding my hand that we were going to have, "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"Then what in the hell are we doing?" I asked him in almost a low whisper now, seeing him watch me now with worry on his face and how I was basically calling out our relationship on being something that was downright dangerous. It was dangerous, we both could be in huge trouble since it was not something people smiled about. It was then that George grabbed my wrist, not my hand like he did before, and he pulled me gently with him around the corner now and I followed without saying anything. I did look behind me now at Popeye, who was still in the jeep, but he was fast asleep and not even seeing what was going on with George and I.

George got me in a secluded area against the church wall, and that was when he carefully placed his hands on my neck to have me look at him now with seriousness there in his eyes. This was rare to see him like this, but I said nothing about it.

"Adaline, I really do wish that we met earlier…before we both signed our lives away to this whole shitty war," He said to me in sincerity, "Because if we did, we would be like any other goddamn couple out there in the world."

"I doubt we would be normal," I muttered to him, seeing him grin at me now and the warmth was back there on his face.

"None the less, I am beyond glad to have met you because it's going to give me a pretty good goddamn reason to stay alive." He explained, having me smile for once in this whole conversation that we have been having. It made my own heart no longer feel like it was being betrayed, but fed with his words and his smile and his hands on my neck that was giving me the feeling of electricity.

"Don't try to be a man of words now, Luz." I warned him in lightness as he grinned at me from ear to ear.

"You bring it out in my Adaline." He reminded me, having me see him then reach into his jacket pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper that had written on the inside. He held it in his one hand as the other hand moved from my neck down to my hand and we laced fingers.

"I wanted to find you today and give this to you," He explained as he handed it to me. I took it carefully with my spare hand that was not occupied with his hand holding, "It's a letter."

"A letter?" I asked.

"I wrote it on the plane ride before I jumped. The guy next to me had a spare page and a pencil in his pocket, so I convinced him to let me borrow the pencil." He explained to me some more as I carefully place it in my jacket pocket on the inside so I knew it wouldn't be lost. It made me sad to think that we both knew what we were doing, at the very start of this war, and who knows how long this war was going to take for us to get back to our regular lives. I still had my parents, my brother, my own daughter Beth who was under the childish belief that I was invincible and nothing was going to kill me. It made it much more of determination to stay alive for her, and how now I had George to think about and consider as another reason to try and live.

I pulled him into a hug then, not wanting to say another word or two about it since we already pretty much spilled out our feelings back in England before we left into the night. George hugged me close him, having me sigh and try to keep this within my brain since I had no real idea when I was going to see him again. We were in a war, we both had our jobs and obligations, and we both had to be careful not to let what was happening between us get out of hand. So I had to think of the optimistic side of things, that we would make it work.

We had to make it work.


	13. Chapter 13

**June 7th, 1944**

**Royal Airforce Base, Upper Hayford**

**Oxfordshire, England**

If there was one thing that I hated beyond words: It was paperwork.

I hated paperwork.

But the fact of the matter was, I had to fill some out and help shuffle some around for the Air Force since I had nothing else to do really that didn't involve the war. Since we were already all over Europe from the landing, things were getting hectic for the men back at the Royal Air Force Base, and we were told not to go flying anytime soon because of the threat of the war being too hostile for us to do any kind of fighting and flying over areas. Once things were dying down, then we would go out there and help in any way we could.

Until then, I was a driver.

I was helping out with the men back at the base where I was stationed at, after sending Popeye off to the Hospital right down the street. I knew he was going to be in good hands there and yet here I was, behind some desk and helping sort files on soldiers that were already dead from the landing in Normandy and I had to get those file ready to be sent back home. It felt horrid at first, seeing the names of the pilots and soldiers that already passed in front of me and the papers in my hand. but then it was booming number than anything really, then again I was worried that I was going to be familiar names from Easy there, and that would have killed me. Every passing of the paper that was going into the pile next to me was almost like I was waiting for a bomb to go off waiting me. The worst one, other than the ones I was very close to like Joe LIiebgott and Roe, was George.

If I saw his name, I would be crushed and everything would be over for me,

It was still some kind of a surreal shock for me to live through really since I was still getting used to the fact that we were seeing each other as more than just friends. How was I going to get through this really? Would my mother and father approve of him? Oh, good grief they would adore him before he would open his mouth because of how he would smile and even how he would carry himself with such lightness and joy there in his stance. My brother? Hell, they would exchange some stories about cars or past girlfriends that would make my brother even swoon for him? Though my brother was, in fact, the protective type thanks to our working class Irish roots, my brother would like him none the less since George would never be the one who bat his eye towards another woman, at least I would think so.

But what about my own daughter? My Beth.

She would love anyone who would make her smile, she was far too kind and good to be untrustworthy to someone like George Luz. From all I told him about Beth, George would want to meet her sometime in the future and see who she was face to face. I would too, and yet I had to think if it was the right thing to do since she was my top priority. If there was going to be someone that I would look to for this kind of guidance, it would be my daughter. Sure, she was young enough to believe that everything in the world was good, and yet I knew if she didn't like something or someone, it was for a good reason. But still, I was overthinking it way too much and I was only trying to be there in order to survive and get out of the war in one piece.

"That's the last bit of the files for now, thanks for your help." I looked up and over at the officer that was there standing over me now. I was too zoned out from what I was thinking about to hear him coming over to where I was and I just smiled at him.

"Thank you, sir." I replied back to him.

"I was told to relay a message for you: you are needed for a flight operation after all." He explained, having me perk up a bit in my chair that I was sitting in now as he was looking down at me with his hands behind his hands.

"Really, sir?" I asked him in a bit of shock there in my tone.

"They need more cargo shipped to the Americans that have landed and are making their way to France to relive the more soldier coming in. Supplies are low and they are in need of food, ammo and other necessities for this war. I was told to call you in as one of our WASP members for the Yanks, you'll be flying out in two hours." he explained some more, having em grin at him now. I was just glad not to be sitting behind a Goddamn desk anymore really and to be able to move around on my own accord, even if it meant that I was going to drop off crates in the middle of God knows where and coming back in one piece. That was fine, as long as I wasn't going to be acting like a secretary again.

Those names of the dead man made me sick, and it was only the first day of the war.

* * *

**June 14th, 1944**

_My Dear Adaline,_

_Before I even got on this goddamn plane that about to send me God knows where, I thought of you and how much I really like you. I'm not that great with words, I can admit to that. But then again, I want to be able to tell you how I feel about you._

_I think your smile reminds me of the sun, how bright it is in the morning. I know that sounded cheesy, but I had no other way to tell you since I got tongued tied once trying to tell you that. In all honesty, you're the first girl that made me tongued tied when it came to giving out compliments, but think of it as a good thing. Not a whole lot of people can leave me without a single word to say, and you happen to be one of the rare ones that can leave me breathless with just one grin from yours._

_I don't know what's going to happen to me tonight, or if I am going to actually make it see the morning, but I only wanted to be able to let you know I feel about you. Me meeting you on that airstrip was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. I know it sounds like I am talking out of my own ass, and you're not one to receive compliments on a regular basis, but you should know how much you do mean to me. I don't care if you're a mother, or if you're too painfully shy to have me just hold your hand, I would be still willing to hold your hand and call you my girlfriend. You're too good for me to just let you go and not let you know how I feel when we kiss, or when I make you giggle from one of my voices, or even how I feel when I see your eyes shining in the sunset._

_All I can tell you is that I am willing to try and survive to get back to you and be near you again. Even when I'm scared to jump out of this plane, I can think of you and feel better about myself since you make me feel like the luckiest man in the world. I'll see you again, I really will._

_You have my heart._

_George Luz_

* * *

Since I got the news that I was going to drop off supplies over the European countryside or small battles that were happening, I was constantly running from plane to plane, getting more and more cargo to drop off and then bringing the planes back that I would fly. Then again, I was not allowed to fly any planes that would be involved in combat since WASP was still considered a scandal and very high risk, all because we were women who were flying planes. It was worse when we had not official military ranking to talk about or use in our favor, so we were just left out in the one really with nothing to hold back on. I wanted to believe that we had some kind of contribution to this whole world, but the more I taught about it, the less I was feeling about it.

I felt more like a tool than anything.

I haven't seen Luz in over a week, none the less the rest of the men in Easy to be honest there. I wondered how they were doing since I was not going to go around to all the officers to ask them about Easy Company and their status. Technically I was part of their Company since Colonel Sink asked me to go be with them and help, yet I was stuck in England and I had no real reason to head back just yet. So I would just fly my planes and keep my nose to the ground without making a big spectacle out of myself really. I hated the attention, and I was already getting too much of it for my liking since I was the one female pilot there on the base.

I finally got the chance to go out and meet up with the men there in France, hearing that they were along the countryside after they succeeded in grabbing and winning over the small town of Carentan. They were safe now, and I was getting the good sense that they were out of the big part of the battle for the moment now since they were moving along the countryside and trying to keep quiet. I wondered how they all were, the good-hearted men and the stubborn ones too.

Getting from England back into France, first by flight and then by jeep was a bit daunting, to say the least, only to see the aftermath of the beginning of the war. Roads were deserted and shattered, houses were torn to pieces and people were still in stunned silence from all that has happened around them, and yet I was riding by them like I was on a routine visit to a friend's house. I tried to look ahead and not be shell shocked from what I was seeing, but it was too hard not to look away.

Finally, after a few hours in the jeep with the back of it filled top to bottom with crates of supplies and other such things, I made it to the meeting point where I was going to meet up with the men. They were stationed out near a farming community, taking it over really since it was abandoned and no one was around it really to fend them off. Soldiers were walking to and from there, and a room was made up as the Commander Quarters and I was just glad to be out from the airfield there and hopefully getting to see some familiar faces again. I pulled up to the entrance, seeing two men there standing at attention and then having me pull up next to them and pull out the papers I had to show them in order to get in.

"What's your business here, ma'am?" They asked me as I salaried them both.

"Supplies for Easy Company, as ordered by Colonel Sink and the officers of the Royal Air force." I explained to them both clearly as one of them was looking at the papers. It was then that I heard boots coming my way as I looked over to see who it was, a small smile on my lips from who I saw who it was.

Lewis Nixon.

"She's with us, soldier. No need to check her papers." He replied to the private, smiling at me with his grin and warm face there in his combat gear. I grinned back at him as the private handed me my papers again, "You finally decided to come back to the boys?"

"I guess so, sir." I replied to him, watching him now as he hopped into the passenger seat and was already lounging about there.

"I'll show you where to go, the boys are about to eat and they are going to be happy to see you." He explained as I got the jeep back to life again and we rolled along the muddy road that was in front of us. I was glad to see his face since it was familiar to me in his sea of new faces and awkward feelings of war. He was kind enough to me, as well as the other boys, but it wasn't the same really. With Nixon, he seemed more laid back about the way things were around us.

"How as your jump, sir?" I asked him as I kept us going along the road there.

"Find as it can be, nothing broke and I'm still breathing to tell the tale. found Winters and the others a bit after I got into the town and they were all fine themselves," he explained to me, "Did you have to do any flying since the jump?"

"They just started letting me fly as soon as I left Easy Company, sir. I'm still a hesitance to then, though." I explained.

"Why is that?" He questioned. I sighed since I had to real way to tip toeing around the touchy subject that I hated and was tying me to the war.

"Let's just say, that they are still not convinced that females are not qualified to do any real fighting in planes." I explained, seeing him now look over at me with confusion written all over his face now from how I was saying it.

"Really?" He asked me, sounding now amused by it.

"It's not my place to ask them to let me fly a plan over a battle, they are the ones in charge, not me." I explained to him calmly, yet it was still killing me on the inside really how I was only used to half of the potential that I knew I could use myself, "Hell, they never taught me how to shoot a gun, sir."

"Well, shit." He said in almost a grumble now as he was pointing in the directions to where he wanted me to go, "Well, it seems to me that we're going to have to be giving you a gun one of these days."

"I'm not regulated to have one." I reminded him.

"Eh, I don't want to have the thought of you not being prepared in case you do get yourself in a pickle." He replied, then looking over at once more with an interest in his eyes, "Do you know how to defend yourself?"

"I grew up learning how to swing a bat and throw a men hook, sir." I answered.

"But never a gun?" He asked.

"No, sir." I answered him, hearing him sigh as I pulled to a stop there along the road and turned off the jeep.

"I'll talk to someone to see if we can at least get you a pistol. You're assigned to Easy and I don't want you to not be able to defend yourself. Let me talk to Dick and see what I can do for you." He explained as he hopped out of the jeep and I followed him, shoving the keys in my pocket now. I wanted to argue with him, but not be able to have a gun in my hand in case something was to happen. I never wanted to be in that kind of position that would lead me to shoot a man dead to make sure I survived, it didn't felt right to me. But then again, some of these men must have felt the same thing before they signed up for war. War changes people. changes morals and changes how people are willing to survive.

It was all about now how as going got live, and who was going to die. I had more than one reason to live, but one bigger reason was resting on my own daughter whom I would think about every time I woke up and over time I close my eyes. Nixon didn't know I was a mother, nor did plenty of the other men, and I would think the ones that did would want me to live in order to see Beth again.

"Come on, the boys are in here." Nixon said to me now as I came back to reality.

"But what about their supplies, sir?" I asked him as I was catching up with him and he was walking over to the barn, "I can't leave it unattended."

"I'll get Bull or Johnny to come and grab it for you," He replied over his shoulder as I was still behind him a bit, "If anyone takes it, I'll make sure they are the ones punished for taking the supplies off of a woman."

"Thank you…I suppose…sir." I replied to him, hearing him chuckle now from hearing the hesitancy in my voice.

"You're quite welcome." he said back to me, having me grin at him as he got over to the barn door and opened it slowly. I peered inside after Nixon as he waltzed in, and I saw that I was just in time to hear someone retelling some kind of story.

"So there I was, flying through the goddamn air that night like a blind bat an all of the sudden I slam…BAM! Right into the tree there and I thought I blanked out!" I grinned, knowing that voice anywhere and I felt myself being beyond better now since that voice was the one thing keeping me alive through some nights, and yet I was trying to be the one to compose myself really. Who was I to act like this when he was close by? What an idiot was I, but I couldn't help but smile widely as I saw a handful of the men all sitting together at one of the larger tables, all listening to George Luz now as he was telling them a story.

"When I came to, I swore on my mother's life I thought it was a goddamn true….turned out to be a cow that was just sittin' there in the grass and eating like nothing too shitty was happening!" The whole group of boys burst in laughter and chuckles now as I was still behind Nixon in the corner of the barn, not wanting to have myself be seen just yet. It was like thy haven't jumped into the war just yet, like they were back at Fort Benning with another round of tall tales to tell each other and nothing to really worry about. They were still in their combat boots and jackets, BDU pants, and helmets to the side and for me to see their faces and how untouched they were of war. I had no idea how they were doing that, how they were still living like they were in some kind of fraternity,

"Hey, look who's hiding behind you!" I saw them all looking over at me now with big grins on their faces from seeing me behind Nixon, and it was true: I was in fact hiding. It made me feel embarrassed about it, being seen by the rest of them and having them cheer for me to to come around and being seen by them. Finally, with a bit of reluctance, I moved out into the open from Nixon who was still amused by it all and I just smiled, the others were beaming from the sight of me and Joe finally popped up from his spot at the table. I could see all of their faces and how they were looking at me with lightness and a glow on their skin and in her eyes. I was just glad they were all okay, especially George who was looking right at me with almost a twinkle in his eye. I could feel the overwhelming warmth within my chest from seeing him and seeing that grin back there on his face.

"Took you long enough to get back with us fellas." Joe commented to me as we hugged each other, having him pull away from me and eyeing me up and down, "You're looking good there, Adaline."

"Hey, quit makin' her blush, will ya?" Guarnere barked at him as he could see the scarlet cheeks there that I had there for all of them to see, "She looks petrified to see us, Liebgott."

"More petrified to see you than anything, you're a freak of fuckin' nature Gonnorhea," Joe replied over his shoulder in a short remark now as he then looked back at me with his smile back on his face, "You going okay there, Adaline?"

"I am, thanks, Joe." I replied back to him softly as I heard some of the other men getting up from their table and over to see me. I could already feel the overwhelming stimulation happening with me, though after seeing all of their faces there in front of me and hearing all of their voices. I wanted to find a way to calm it all down since they were shaking my hand and giving me handshakes. All I really wanted to do now was just find another way to breathe. Thankfully, I saw someone shoving the others out of the way as they were coming over to see me.

"Give her some air, Jesus fellas." It was George and thank God for him as he reached over to place his hand on my shoulder now and having me feel at peace again with the others moving away from me now. It was quieter again as they all were chuckling from what George said to them. I was just glad to be able to breathe again now.

"It's good to see you, Adaline." Bull said to me with his deep voice, having me smile in agreement with him.

"You boys all look okay." I voiced to them.

"Damn night we're okay, one jump is not gonna kill us." Guarnere replied to me in his sneaky kind of tone, "How about you? You still flyin' planes?"

"Cargo planes now, Bill. No fighting for me." I replied back to him as I could still feel George's hand on my sleeve and he was not letting me go, not one bit. He even sucked over to stand next to me and stay close enough to seem like we were just friends, yet how close we were too was giving me the thought that he would want to talk with me later about what was going on with my life since he saw me last.

"They still don't trust you with a gun eh?" Joe asked me in his cocky manner.

"I never learned how to use one, and I don't intent on using one at all, Joe." I answered, hearing more chuckles from the others from the news I told them.

"That's a real damn shame if you think about it." Bull remake in a snort now as Nixon cleared his throat from where he was.

"Come on, boys. Let her be. She brought me some more stuff so let's let her unload it. Bull, Johnny Martin, help her unload will ya?" Nixon asked the two of them as they nodded and moved over to where the door was. The others scattered before grinning at me once more.

"Wanna grab some food?" Joe asked me, yet I saw George staying back a bit near me, having em sense that he would want to have some alone time with me really.

"I'll grab some in a bit, I need to get the truck unloaded," I replied back to him, seeing Joe nod his head and walk off really since I doubted he would want some kind of answer from me. I turned on my heel and started to walk over to the door with George right behind me. When we were basically just the two of us, I felt him reach down and gently brush our fingers together, and once we were outside, I squeezed his hand within my own now.

"Come with me." George whispered to me now as I saw Bull and Johnny Martin unloading the back of the truck. I nodded once, seeing him turn to the right and me following him down the side of the barn and over to a secluded area. It seemed like the more we were wanting to have some alone time, the more we were going to have to hide it, almost like this was forbidden. It kind of was forbidden really since we both could get in real trouble for something like this. Yet, from reading George's letter that he wrote to me while he was on the plane, he didn't care what we were doing and how we were doing this together.

Once we were alone together, in a small alleyway that was made from the barn and the building that was next to it, I found myself being the one pulling him into a hug and he said nothing but was hugging me close to him. Neither one of us said a word since there was really nothing else to say between the both of us that would me enough to fill in that void. I only wondered what he was thinking about at that moment, and yet I could feel it when one of his hands was around my waist to hold me close to him, and the other hand was resting against the back of my head and making sure I was not going to go anywhere. But I wasn't going to leave him, not jut yet.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He said to me in a sigh against my skin and hair. I grinned with his arms, squeezing him a bit tighter now.

"I was more concerned about my boyfriend jumping out of a plane into darkness than myself." I murmured back to him now, seeing him pull away from me with a small shock on his face from what I told him. I made me giggle to see that look on his face like he was lost for words.

"Did you just call me your boyfriend?" He asked me with a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"It must have slipped out." I replied back to him in almost a sheepish manner, the grin was back on his face again. I was glad we were having this moment there between us though we were breathing in the stench that was the farm and the aftermath of the war that was happening around us now.

"You_ are_ getting bold on me, Adaline O'Malley." he said back to me in almost a teasing fashion. I could feel the butterflies, once again, fluttering in my stomach from both of his hands were back onto my waist and making me already feel close enough to kiss him.

"You're the one bringing it out of me to be bold, so I do blame you." I replied back to him now, feeling him pull me a bit closer him to now and I breathed him in. He had the faint smell of cigarettes and nature about him now, yet it was complimenting him to the point of me not wanting to push him away but bring him closer to me. I was apart from him for a bit too long and I had missed him.

"I'm glad you're okay too," He said to me, scanning my face with his eyes and having me just smile at him, "I was a bit worried after I landed on the ground that something happened to you."

"Are we going to have this conversation again?" I asked him, knowing this was going to be another round of us arguing with one another about who was going to protect you and how it was going to happen.

"Nope, because I know you can handle yourself," He answered me, "And I can say with a habit of pride that my girlfriend can fly a plane. Not a whole lot of girlfriends can do that, you know."

"I know," I said to him, reaching up to touch some of his floppy hair again with my fingers and feeling the bit of sweat moisture there under my fingertips and it made me feel like I was home again, with nothing to fear and nothing to hide. I wanted to stay like this with George, not wanting to go back to England and try and live out my life as a pilot. With George, it seemed far more simple than anything I have felt before.

"I read your letter, the one you wrote when you were on the plane." I said out loud between the both of us, yet it sounded so soft since we were in close proximity to one another. When I mentioned the latter, I saw the look of worry in his face and in his eyes. He must have thought I was going to judge him completely then and there because of what I read there in his letter to me.

"If any of that sounded cheesy, or not even close to be appropriate, just let me now," He started to say in almost a rushed manner to me since he was trying to cover up his own tracks, "I never really have written a letter to a girl before, since I had no real game with the ladies really because of how much of an idiot I am—"

Once again, I silenced him with a kiss was a bit bolder than how we would kiss before. He was instantly quiet, but then he pulled me flushed against him and held the kiss against his lips. If he thought he was going to be the bold one in this relationship, then he had nothing things coming since I was missing him crazy and he was the only real sense of peace in this kind of shitty world I had to live in.

I pulled away from him slightly, framing his face in my hands and seeing him look at me with wide eyes and shock there on his face. He even sounded like he was out of breath from that one kiss, and it made me wonder if it was all really from me.

"You are not even close to being an idiot," I explained to him in almost a statement, since I hated that he was referring to himself as an idiot, "I loved reading that letter, since it made me have better days and worst days."

"Really?" He asked me, still in disbelief.

"Of course, George. It even made me feel kind of special if you think about it." I explained, seeing the big grin back on his face that showed all of his teeth and his hold on his tightening slightly.

"You _are_ special to me, and I could write you another letter that has a poem in it if you want me to." He explained to me how with his light tone.

"You write poetry?" I asked him, seeing him shake his head, but the grin was still there for me to see and never want to leave his side or release him from my hold.

"For you, I would do anything."

* * *

**September 13th, 1944**

**Aldbourne England**

There was a get together at one of the bars there in England, and all of Easy was there to get some of the edges off of the war. I was still working in England, running packages here and there for the Easy men via plane and then jeep and whatever they needed in my jeep. I was hardly flying any more planes myself up to that point because of the fact that I could deliver by jeep better than by plane. That was fine with me, and I was getting letter left and right from home and from Aaron. He was letting me know how Beth was doing, which made me happy since that meant more pictures for me to hold onto and more dreams for em to have when I would see her again. I missed her terribly those days.

I was once again dressed in my blues from the air force as the men in Easy were in their dress greens, having me hang around Webster in one of tables and we were chatting with one another as some of the others were playing darts with one another, George included. He was playing some darts with Buck, Joe Toye, and a young man who came in as a replacement named Edward Heffron, or Babe as the others were calling him that. He was kind to me when Guarnere introduced us when I came in one day with another load of supplies with my jeep, he was another Philadelphia native who sported red hair and a thick accent to boot.

"I need in need of a book these days," Webster commented to me as we were sitting together at one of the tables, talking to each other over the music and the rousing conversations that were happening around us. I grinned at him,"I have nothing else to read instead of the paper leaf book Joe gave me as a gag gift."

"If I find something here in England, I'll bring it for you," I reassured him, seeing him grin at me now as I then saw Guarnere walking over to the three other replacements that just came into the Company, all of them looking fresh and new to the program as he sat with him and was right in front of us.

"Thank you kindly, Adaline." Webster said to me now as I then heard someone coming over to me and I looked. It was George, handsome as ever in his dress greens as he grinned at me.

"May I have a word with you in private, ma'am?" He asked me, sounding far too polite for my liking. He reached down for me to grab his hand, in which I did and he helped me out of the chair and I was standing next to him now as Guarnere was going on about a pinup girl on the side of a plane named Doris.

"Where are we going?" I asked him as he was pulling me behind him across the room and weaving through the men there. At first, he said nothing really, but then he turned his head slightly in my direction and I could see him grinning at me again.

"You'll see, I'm not gonna spoil it for you." He replied to me, having me smirk as he was leading me away from the rest of the boys and now over to the back of the room, where I could see there was an another room that no one was in. In fact, it was deserted, and it looked rather small like it would only fit about 10 people in there and no more than that. When we reached the smaller room, seeing a few chairs pushed to the side and a radio propped on the top of one of the tables against the corner of the wall, George releasing my hand and then walked over to the radio, turning it on and having me hear him try to find some kind of station there. There was another table, a small cafe table really, with two cold beers on the top and ready for whoever was going to take them.

"What is going on?" I asked him since I was still a bit confused as to why we were back here and not with the rest of the guys. George finally found a music station that was playing a nice soft medley, slow and steady as he looked back at me, shoving his hands in his pockets as he was giving me his toothy grin and I was grinning back at him.

"I figured we needed to have some kind of proper date, you and me." He explained as he walked over to me now, the both of us standing in the middle of the tiny room and the music filling ti so softly and with care that it made me feel a blush come to my cheeks, "I owe you a date after all, and plus I got us drinks too."

"You planning on getting me good and drunk?" I asked him as he walked over to the other side of the room where the table was, grabbing the two beers there and walking back with one beer in each hand.

"I would never, Adaline O'Malley." he replied to me, playfully acting like he was hurt from my words as I giggled and took the beer he was handing to me. I took a small sip from it, feeling the cold liquid hit the back of my throat and I grinned as he took a drink himself.

"Like I said, I would give you a proper date that was enough to make any girl swoon over me," He said to me, motioning to the room we were in and having a distasteful look on his face, "And this is the best I can do until we can either get more money or get out of dodge with this war."

"George," I said to him, having him look back at me as the music was still playing softly to just the two of us, at least, that's how I felt it would be, "This is beyond perfect."

"I should hope so, or else I did a shitty job." He joked with me, having the both of us laugh from his joke that he made. He then took the beer from my hand and placed both of our drinks back on the table, still having me stay still in my post there in the middle of the room as he walked back to him and slipped his hand in my own. We both were wrapped in each other as we swayed to the music, once again having me feel like we were the only two souls in the whole world then and nothing was really going to make that worse or better.

"I remember when I first danced with you, back after we earned our wings," George commented to me as we were turning a bit with the music and I was feeling his fingers against my dress jacket and our foreheads were almost touching each other, "You're pretty good with your dancing."

"As are you," I replied back, "For a joker, you know how to work your feet."

"I tend to do that from time to time to get girls to like me." He answered me back smoothly as we were still going along with the music and I found one of my arms going around his shoulder as he was still holding my hand and his other hand around my waist. I just wanted to breathe him in, harness this moment for all it was and would be, a perfect memory.

"Where did you learn to dance?" He asked me out of the blue.

"My dad, he taught me when I was younger and then he taught my brother," I explained, "My brother is better at this than me. I have two left feet."

"If this is you havin' two left feet, then my feet are basically stumps." George smoothly complimented to me, having me blush once again as he reached over with his hand from my waist to shove some of my hair from my eyes, "Is there anything that you can't do?"

"Be a great flirt, which is what you're good at apparently." I answered him back though he rolled his eyes from my remark.

"I like you not being a flirt," he said to me, having me eye him and not knowing where he was going with this conversation,"Girls who are flirty are more dangerous than anything."

"And I'm not dangerous?" I asked him coyly now as he shook his head with the smile there on my face and he rested his forehead against my own and I could breathe him in more.

"You are dangerous, Adaline." He reminded softly, "Your smile is dangerous, let alone how you laugh and how you're far too kind to anyone you meet."

"How is that dangerous?" I asked him cautiously since it was not clicking with me on how being kind and how I would laugh can be placed under the category of dangerous. George merely smiled at me, since it was another round of mystery about him that made me curious about him.

"Because there's hardly anyone like that left in the world if I'm gonna be honest here, and to be different nowadays is dangerous." He advised me, "I've never met a girl like you, someone who's selfless and caring for others."

"Sorry, if I disappoint then." I said back, feeling him lean in and press his lips against my own to silence me then. I was still in awe in how he was looking at me like I was the best thing in the world, talking to me like I was worth talking to and holding me like a husband would with a wife. That could still be a future with him really, a life with George. And, yet it wasn't scaring me like I thought it would.

I was more convinced than anything, no matter how much I wanted to doubt this, that this was right and it was good.


	14. Chapter 14

**September 17th, 1944**

**Albourne, England**

I stopped the jeep right in the middle of the airstrip that the planes are being held at now, and they were about to be sent off into Holland into another dangerous yet simpler meeting than it was in Normandy: Operation Market Garden. And once again, I was going to be flying the planes there to send them off since they were losing some of the pilots from both the first night in the war, and also others getting wounded. I could tell it was somewhat killing them for wanting to ask me for help, and yet it was fine with me being out Easy Company as much as I could.

"You already got your plane ready?" I was having another prep talk with the other pilots that were going to go along with Operation Market Garden. There were at east a dozen of us now flying the planes and the others, Both in Easy and in other Companies, were creeping with their paratrooper gear and also getting the replacements reacquainted with the gear and ready for the jump. I felt bad for the new soldiers since they were getting some mad heat from the veterans, especially Cobb who was still a hit of a sour puss to some of the others, including me. I only wondered why he was like that, and if he was like that all the time.

"All of the planes are ready and accounted for, make sure you come starlight back here after the last soldier was jumped from your plane, do not take any other precautions with this Operation. You are only here for s drop off, and after you land your planes, then you can go off to find your Companies that you are assigned to if you are given a Company." Our commander was explained to all of us now as we were standing in our circle and I was shifting my jacket a bit that I was going to wear on the flight."

"O'Malley, you are taking in half of Easy Company in your plane, and Jones will be taking the other hand of Easy in his plane," The commander explained to the both of us as we were standing together and watching him, "Once you land with your plane, you're going to meet them back in Holland since this is still too big of a risk for you to follow them via plane."

"Yes, sir." We both replied together, heading him talk to the others in the circle with their assignments and what they were going to do next. I had to remind myself once again that this was another flight for me to get to and from in one piece. This was nothing that was new to me, and it was the same thing for the boys in Easy. This was not their first jump at all, and they were going to be beyond okay. So why was I worrying over them like a mother hem or an overprotective sister? Were they thinking the same with me?

"You're dismissed. Have a good flight and fly safely." We saluted the commander now as both Jone and I walked together in our pilot gear over to our two planes, both of which had playful names behind them. Jones called his planes Delilah, and I called my own plane Rogue. I thought it would fit well since I felt like I was the fastest pilot there in the airstrip.

"You ready to fly your beautiful Delilah over the land of Holland, Jones?" I asked him in a friendly manner, hearing him chuckle next to me now as we both locked eyes with one another. He was older than me for certain, but only by a couple of years now and he looked like he was more built like a football player than anything. But none the less, he was kind to me compared to the other pilots.

"Oh, I am tickled to fly Good Ol' Deliah." He replied to me in his smooth accent that showed he was from American himself, from the South near Mississippi. "And I'm taking it you're just as excited to fly Rogue there? You know, some of the guys are already talkin' about how you fly your plane."

"Are they?" I asked him with a raise of my eyebrow at him. It was one thing that they were talking about me in general since this was a male dominated kind of place, but then again, it was another to talk about how I was flying my planes.

"You're already turning head with your flying methods, and you're building up a reputation with the British guys around here." he explained some more as we were making our way over to his plane now, the both of us grinning at each other from the mere silliness of this whole thing that was happening around us.

"That's the last thing I really need at this point: talk about me." I reminded him.

"Naw, this is the good talk, almost like a legend they are startin' with each other. Don't worry though, you won't have'ta worry about their talk for far too long." He said to me in reassurance as I grin at him. I was glad that I had some kind of reassurance there in his voice and what he was telling me. I heard a roar of laughter from afar, having the both of us look over with our eyes to see Easy talking to each other while putting on their gear and getting ready for the jump. I felt it again, the round of mother hen coming over me now as they were looking at it another thing in the war, not as something dangerous.

"Do me a favor, will ya?" I asked Jones now as I was looking back at him with worried eyes and a stern look, "Take care of the Easy boys on your plane, they're buddies of mine."

"You growin' attached to them, aren't ya O'Malley?" He asked me in a coy tone as I looked back at the boys again. Attached was one thing, but growing close enough to call them my family was another. Only a handful of them knew about my daughter, and yet that was enough since the rest of them were still kind of me compared to the others that I met when I started the Air Force. The others were only seeing me with just one glance, and yet that was enough since they didn't want to get to know me. But Easy was another story really, on the opposite on how I thought they were going to treat me. The now saw me as on of their own, like they were adopting in a stray without any question to it. That meant a lot of me, and I didn't want them to be hurt as much as the next person in their company.

"Just make sure you treat them right, I am technically part of their Company you know." I advised him, seeing him nod his head and slap me on the shoulder lightly.

"You have my word, they are in safe hand with me." He said to me in a promised tone, having me grin back at him.

"Have a good flight, Jones." I said to him as he said the same to me and we both separated. I walked over to my own plane, a big passenger plane with some history behind it already and I was glad to have my own plane to ride around in. It wasn't as bad as the night we were going into Normandy, but then again we were going to be flying in broad daylight and hopefully we wouldn't be getting into too much trouble.

"Good ol' Rogue." I said to myself as I walked over to place my hand on my own plane there, feeling the cool metal against my warm fingers and the warm air that was coming into the airstrip, "Please don't let me die in the air today."

"You talkin' to the plane now? Never took you as the crazy type." I whirled around, seeing that it was George there and his smile was back, having me leave my hand from the plane's side and walk over to him with a shrug of my shoulders.

"You still have time to find someone else if you're not into crazy." I reminded him, he instantly shook his head and walked over a bit more to be close enough to me that made me really wish that we were alone together, once again. Damn him for doing that to me.

"I don't think I wanna find anyone else since I have the best thing in front of me right now." He replied back to me smoothly.

"Quit the flirting, Luz." I warned him with my smile there on my face and me almost sounding like I was about to burst in happiness there. He chuckled a bit.

"Can't help it, you bring it out in me." He explained to me softly so only the both of us could hear each other. I giggled though then it was short lived because of the upcoming jeep that we could hear coming our way, rolling into the air strip and it was none other than Sobel himself. He was in the passenger seat and another driver was going along, he was looking dead ahead with that stern look on his face and it was making me think back to when I was back at Fort Benning. He hated me then for going against him when ti came to authority, and it was a stunned sight to see him there in front of us again.

"Holy shit." George muttered as he was seeing the same thing as I. Once the jeep stopped, even with us a bit away from him and not close enough to hear him, Sobel hopped out of the jeep and over to the back now where there were extra boxes and things he was carrying over. It was then he looked over in our direction, catching eyes with me and I felt like I was about to puke. Something about seeing him again when I thought I was all done with him made me want to vomit then and there since it felt like an out of body experience. He looked like he was in shock seeing me, in a pilot uniform and about to fly a plane when he thought I was merely going to be a driver.

I wanted to run and hide.

"Adaline, come on, Adaline." George grasped my hand now, hiding it from Sobel who was still glaring at me now and I gulped down that I had in my throat before I felt like I was about to be dizzy. George then started pulling me away from the plane, having me follow him in reluctance as we were walking over to the rest of the Easy boys now. I tried to look away from him, staring ahead as George was determined to get me away from Sobel as fast as humanly possible. Maybe it was because I was sweating bullets, or even that it looked like I was about to puke. but George saw that I needed to be away from him since he knew what happened in Fort Benning.

"What the fuck is he doin' here?" Joe asked as we approached them in their own circle. It was Joe, Bull, Doc, Babe, Webster, Guarnere, and Toye there when George and I walked over. George kept his grip on my hand, and yet the rest of the guys were focusing on Sobel and how he was already barking orders on which crate goes where.

"He's the new Supply Officer." Bull explained to Joe in a mutter as I kept my head down. Sobel was not looking at me anymore, but it still felt like he was. I didn't want that kind of stare on me, it was a stare of hate and of pure judgment.

"Adaline?" Doc asked me, seeing my head shot to the floor and I wasn't saying a word. No one else said anything now, having me wonder if they were looking at me now in confusing as to why it looked like I was about to break down into tears.

"Sobel gave her the stink eye and she didn't like it too well." George explained to the group, having me look up and over at him to have him not say anymore. I didn't want another pity party on my behalf, it was too much already.

"That Bastard." Joe growled under his breath as he inhaled his cigarette.

"Who is that guy? Looks like there's a broom up his ass." Babe commented in almost a sneer since the rest of the guys were giving him death glares.

"He used to be our Captain, back in training over in the states," Guarnere explained to Babe with his own thick accent slicing through the circle we had, "Mean son of a bitch."

"Gave Adaline here a hard time since she chewed him out and his authority." Webster explained some more, having me look down again since I now officially hated being in the limelight of all of this.

"No shit," Babe gasped out in wonder, "You really laid one out on him?"

"Hell yeah, she did. He yelled at her because the equipment was improper, and Adaline in return called him out for being a shitty Captain who can't control his troops." Joe Toye answered him back, "Left the rest of us in a bit of shock, but happy none the less since she's the first to pay it in good on Sobel and put him back in his place."

"Dick." Joe said under his own breathe once more as Doc shuffled over to stand next to me, looking at me with his dark and medic-trained eyes to see if I was okay from where I was. The only thing that was really holding me there and not making me run away in a pathetic manner was George. He was still holding my hand, and yet no one was saying a word or two about it.

"He's nothing but a cocky son of a bitch who doesn't know who to talk to women right." Guarnere muttered from his spot across from me, "Hell, Adaline has more class than any of us here, and yet he chooses her to release all of shittiness on. She didn't deserve that, I should give him a piece of my mind."

"I think we can cool down on that talk there, Bill." Bull advised him cautiously now as Doc made me look at him to see his eyes and make sure I was doing okay.

"You alright? You need some water?" He asked me, his medic side coming over him now as I was about to answer him when George beat him to it. He grabbed his canteen and handed it over to me without missing a beat, unscrewing the top for me and I took a good long drink from the cold water.

"Eh, well, good riddance for him not being our Captain anymore," Joe said in a lighter as I handed George his canteen back, having me breathe out slowly and look at the others who were staring at me to make sure I was doing alright where I was. This was not what I really wanted, to be seen as the victim when I knew I was just having a weak moment. But for all of them to rally around for me because I was a woman, that felt more like a punch to the gut than anything.

"You boys don't have to defend me because I'm a female." I wanted them all softly.

"No," I looked over at Doc who spoke up at that time, seeing him give me kind yet contender eyes as he gave me a small smile, "They were defending you because you're their friend, you're _our _friend."

"We don't let anyone mess with Easy, Adaline. That includes you for now on." Guarnere explained to me in his lighter tone, yet I could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth: Not one Easy member was going to be messed with without any kind of protection behind it. The others nodded in agreement as I slowly started to smile then, feeling a bit better about it since they were only looking after their friend, not after a female who they thought was in trouble.

They were bringing me more and more into their family.

* * *

**Eindhoven, Holland**

The last thing I expected to be a part of was a festival of sorts in this small Dutch town of Eindhoven. There were flags everywhere, all orange and bold that hung out of windows and waving in the cool air as the street were filled with people, young and old, parents and their children, older citizens, and their joy on their faces. I had no idea as to why this was happening, it had something to do with us and how they were celebrating us liberating their town. I got there, just in time for the celebration to happen and the sea of people happening around us now as the rest of the Company was swamped in the occasion.

Some of them were playing along, laughing with the locals and taking pictures with them like they were the celebrities of the year. Others were just trying to get by and not be caught in the middle, almost looking agitated about it and how the local girls were trying to kiss them and steal their helmets. Some of the officers, including Peacock who was an Easy Company nuisance from what the others told me, was trying to get the company to move. It was not a success, to be honest, with the roaring of cheers and songs being heard. I wish I knew Dutch so I could hear them and what they were singing about, and yet here I was, trying to navigate my way through the crowd so that I wouldn't be squashed along the way.

It was getting t the point where I would have to take off my helmet so I can at least breathe, yet once my hair was flowing out in the wind, others around me were looking at me in shock. It was like they haven't seen a female pilot around these parts since my pilot jacket was worn over my army attire and all the people around me was making me feel claustrophobic. I only wished I could find somebody that would help me and get me away from the closed space, and I was looking around for the familiar faces of those I knew in Easy.

"Adaline! Over here!" I heard Shifty calling out to me now from about fifty feet away from me, having me look and see him being kissed on the cheek from another local girl before he made his way over to where I was. I grinned, liking that I had someone like Shifty who was more leveled in his excitement than anything compared to the others in Easy. We made our way over to each other now and I grinned at him, seeing that flower petals now were falling from the windows above us and it looked like it was raining florescent petals and light colorful snow.

"How are we gonna get out of here?" I asked him over the cheering and singing of the Dutch town.

"No idea, but I think Bull and Johnny Martin are over this way!" He said back to me, grasping my hand so we both could navigate our way over to where the others are. But I then felt like I ran into someone, someone smaller than me. I looked down, Shifty did as well, seeing a very small young girl who was looking up at me with big eyes and a grin on her face. I was instantly floored, seeing that she looked so much like Beth, with big bright eyes and a huge smile on her face as she was standing in front of a young women whom I thought would be her mother.

This little one had to have been maybe 4 or 5, her long blond hair in two pigtails and her light skin made me think of her like a porcelain doll. She was radiant, and I grinned down at her since I felt the motherly side of me coming through and being exposed now. She had a bouquet of flowers in her one hand as the other reached up to tug on my sleeve. If I knew one thing about children, a tug of the sleeve meant that she wanted me to come to her level so she could tell me something. It didn't matter that I had no lick of Dutch in me, I grinned widely at her and I squatted down to her level.

"Hello!" I said to her, waving at her with my one hand that was not holding my helmet. She then held out the flowers to me, a light purple bouquet of flowers that were beyond beautiful within her small fragile hands as I looked at her with big eyes. The flowers must have been lavender since they were so fragile and so delicate.

"They are for you." Her mother said to me in her thick accent, both Shifty and I looked up at her and she grinned at me as she placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders right behind her, "She saw your uniform and wanted to give you flowers."

"Thank you." I thanked her with my soft grin, then looking back at the girl with kindness. Carefully, I grabbed the flowers from her, hearing her giggle and then shuffled back to her mother but keeping her eyes on me the whole time.

"You're a soldier too?" The mother asked me in curiosity as I looked up at her and then back at the little girl in front of me. I could tell that the girl mistook me as a soldier, like the rest of the men here with their helmets and their attire on. But it was Shifty that spoke up.

"She's a pilot, ma'am. She flies our planes." Shifty explained to her from his spot behind me, the woman's eyes going wide now from what she heard from me and she looked like she went into shock.

"You fly those planes?" She asked me, her voice sounding like she was in pure fascination from the news Shifty told her. I nodded my head, not knowing what else to say to her and how to say it. Was it as big as a shock to her than it was to me?

"You're the first woman pilot, let alone soldier, we have ever seen here." She explained to me, having me really wish I could correct her and tell her I was no soldier, but my tongue was tied and stuck to the roof of my mouth. Was it why the little girl gave me the flowers? Did she see me as some kind of hero? Being a woman in a sea of men, with a soldier's uniform and pilot jacket on along with the helmet under my arm, it must have spurred them to think of greater things in this war. Did it bring them hope? A sense of peace? I had no clue, and I thought I was only doing my job. But then again, this affected them so.

"Come on, Adaline. We have to go." Shifty urged me now as we were still standing there in the middle of the festival. I smiled at the woman and her daughter one more time before I said, "Thank you." to them. She grinned at me and waved with her small hand as we moved away from them and back into the mass crowd again, Shifty still holding my hand within his to help me guide through the crowd. I felt a bit bless and overwhelmed by the gift of flowers and how they reacted to hear that I was a pilot.

"What was that all about?" I asked him once again over the loud noise of the crowd around us as Shifty was leading os over to where some of our soldiers and friends were, "They looked at me like I was their hero."

"Maybe you were," Shifty replied with a shrug of his shoulders now, having me see that he too was confused about the whole situation and how it was played out in front of the both of us, "I mean, seeing a female soldier or pilot must have been huge for them, like the others."

"I'm not following." I reminded him, seeing him look back at me now with a small smile on his face.

"Adaline, it's already a big deal you're a female being in the army, and it's a bigger deal that you're a pilot and you can fly with the rest of the boys. That can change a lot of things around here." He explained to me some more as we were no longer walking but just standing with each other, flowers still falling over and on our heads as another song in Dutch was sung by the locals around us, but I was more focused on what Shifty was saying, "Hell, some of the other guys were talking about it the other day and how you being with us can change things around for the most part."

"Change things?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you know. It's not just about all the guys anymore, it's different now." He replied, then moving away to go and talk with the others in Easy that were celebrating with the locals. I was stunned from what he told me, stunned both in a good way and a bad way. I didn't really see it in that manner, how me being the only female there in Army and with Easy Company could affect both the boys and the whole thing of it all. Was it a bad change? Almost like a stigma was placed on me and making things more awkward. I didn't want to think of it that way, but I couldn't help it. Did I want to be that very reason that things were changing for the army and for the future? It felt like a heaviness was on me now and I had no other way to stop it or not think about it.

"Hey." I felt someone slip their hand into my own, snapping me out of my trance and I looked in front of me, seeing Georg there with a big grin on his face. He must have seen me there, in my own thoughts and looking rather lost there in the crowd. It was then he leaned over to kiss me in the corner of my mouth, his lips touching that corner there almost like he placing some kind of gentle claim on me for others to see and not see at the same time. It brought a shiver, but a good one, down my back and having me smile at him as he pulled away from me and looked at me with his loving warm brown eyes.

"You okay? Is something wrong?" he asked me, our linked hands between us and hiding from wandering eyes. What was I going to tell him? Was be part of that conversation with the other boys about me and my role with them in the army? Should I be worried to talk about that with him? We were already taking a risk when it came to being together as a couple and trying to hide it from the other boys without being in huge trouble. The last thing I wanted was another conversation about my role in the group, and I knew what they were going to say: it would mean nothing to them. I was one of them, I was an Easy member whether I liked it or not. But it still plagued me, and I hated it.

"Not right now," I replied to him, yet he was still reading my eyes and seeing something there that I was holding back. At least that's how I felt about it, but then again I could have been wrong about it really.

"You know, if we weren't being watched by plenty of soldiers and officers, I would kiss you right in front of everyone." He said to me in almost a declaration. I grinned at him, hearing how bold he sounded and like he was trying to sweep me off my feet, which was working in his favor. I giggled from his antic.

"You would do that to embarrass me." I reminded him, hearing him chuckle and shake his head as more flower petals fell over the both of us, and yet we were grinning at each other like we were teenagers, young and reckless.

"That may be true, but mostly to let you know that you're my pretty face." He replied back to me, having em grin widely at him. I did want to be alone with him, or not even have the others or the officer nearby, so I could kiss him and let him how I felt more and more about him as the days came and went.

Yet I didn't know how complicated it was going to be, living this life.

* * *

**Operation Market Garden**

That day felt more like a blur than anything, that day they were going to go along with Operation Market Garden. We were told it was going to be an easy snag, yet it all went horribly wrong.

Very Wrong.

I was no clear to leave the area until late that night when they thought it would be safe enough to get back to England. So I was stuck once again with the men in Easy because I was still assigned to them. They had me stay behind a bit where the trucks were and make sure I was not going to be caught in the line of fire, but once the firing started.

That was all shot to hell within seconds.

We weren't expecting full German forces there in that town, only old man and children really. But this was different, and we were taken off guard to the point that some of the men, including the replacements, had no idea where to go or how to carry out the Operation at hand. And all I could do, was watch near one of the jeeps and not move at all. But never the less, I was hoping and praying that nothing would happen to my friends out there. I had to remind myself: this was their job. This was what they signed their lives away for: to fight for our country and to win these battles. And what was I supposed to do? I was only meant to drive planes and jeeps, only as transportation.

"Come on! Get in the ditch!" Someone was yelling out orders now as the soldiers there were running to find some kind of cover. Something happened, something bad and not part of the plan. I was still stuck next to the jeep now, clutching the metal there and thinking of the worst.

"To the farmhouse! Deploy right!" I could hear Bull yelling out orders to his replacements as they were slowly moving in and out of the way now, having me look back at the others to see what was going to happen to all of them. Would they be in more trouble than it was worth? I had no one to tell, no one to really tell to get them out of there.

"Medic!" Within a flash, Doc ran past me and over towards the town since already there was someone who was hurt. I was going to call out to him to be careful, but he was gone within seconds along one of the ditches were some of the men were. I wanted to go out there myself and help, but I was stuck there against the jeep for some reason. I looked over now, seeing the jeep and feeling the keys within my pocket. The jeep! I could use the jeep to get in there and get out in once piece! I did it once, so I could do it again! If I wasn't going to go in with a pistol in my hand, I was going to do the next best thing.

I was going in via jeep.

"Sir," I said to Winters now as I saw him looking on as well, a bit away from me. I walked over to him as he was still watching the battle, not liking what he was seeing more lost his men are scattered left and right, "Sir, I want to help."

"You're not fit for combat, Adaline." he reminded me, his voice was stern and laced with authority there but none the less kind.

"I'm not talking about going in there with a gun, sir," I said to him, seeing him move his eyes from the battle now and over to me as I heard another round of "Medic!" ringing in the air and men gaping out in pain from being shot.

"What are you thinking of then?" He asked me, clearly not getting what I was hinting at him. I reached into my pocket, grabbing the keys there and fishing them out for him to see, dangling them in front of his eyes and seeing him watch the keys with his right blue eyes.

"You need to get someone out of there within seconds, I can do that." I said to him in reassurance.

"You'll still be heading in heavy fire, that's not part of your protocol," He reminded me one again with a stern but careful tone, I once again shook my head at him.

"Send a soldier in with me, I can get there without any one of those bullet touching me," I reassured him, and I could still see the hesitance there on his face as I sighed and eyed him some more, "Look, sir, I know I am not part of your Company technically, but I am still obligated to help you and the boys out in any way I can. I know how to drive a jeep better than anyone here in Easy, and I know I can help out with a jeep." He still watched me with careful eyes now, making sure I was saying something right and not telling him a lie. It was true: these army jeeps were tricky to work with and I knew how to get in and out in one of those things. If he was going to use me, he better use me properly in aiding the men instead of being the delivery girl. I was worth more than that.

Much more.

"MEDIC! Buck's down! We need help!" We both look over to see who was yelling that, and it sounded desperate. I looked back at Winters now, hoping to get some kind of answer from him and soon since this could mean life or death out there. He sighed and looked back at me like a concerned father would.

"Get in, and get out with no lagging behind." He said to me, having me grin at me and run over to the jeep, grabbing the helmet from the driver's seat and throwing it on with my hair underneath. I was on an adrenaline right then, knowing that I was going to heading in the battle to get out anyone who was in fear of being left behind. I only hoped and prayed that I was going to be fast as efficient in my ride there. So I started the engine, hearing it roar to life now as I hear someone else running over to me now, looking over to see it was Joe Toye. He hopped in the jeep now as I got the jeep in gear and cocked his gun into place.

"I'm not lettin' you ride in that without someone looking after your pretty face." He said to me in a low tone as he was ready to aim right in front of us. I got the jeep rolling now, we bolted down the dirt path and towards the battle and the gun fires being heard. I kept my head low as Joe was looking out for me, the closer we were getting the more scared I was becoming. I was meant to be in the sky, not something like this. This was not what I wanted to do in the war, but the again that and to be thrown out the window along with other things when it involved my friends out there being hurt or killed and with me not doing a single damn thing about it.

We rolled down the path, hearing the bullet fly past us as Joe was shooting back in retaliation and being missed by the bullets themselves. Others soldiers that were alive and some of them wonder saw us rolling through, looking in awe for a second before they were still firing away, it was like they were surprised to see me. Hell, If I was them, I would be surprised too, a jeep flashing by with pilot in the driver's seat and she was driving like she was flying.

I could only hope that I was going to be that lucky.

I saw Buck there at the bottom of one of the ditches, seeing him laid out on his stomach and clutching onto a door that some of the boys found to carry him over to where I was. Joe hopped out, rifle still out and ready, as he ran over to the boys, who were Doc, Malarky, and Guarnere, and thy helped carry Buck on the back of the jeep.

"Adaline! Get out of here, you're gonna get hit!" Guarnere said to me in a warning tone and a grunt as he was carrying the door there with most of the weight on his back.

"I'm here to help you boys! Load him up!" I said back to him, staying low after a bullet hit the top of my jeep and I covered my head.

"Hurry up before we lose our lieutenant and our pilot!" Malarky said in a scream as thy got him over to the back, loading him up carefully and still trying to dodge the assault coming our way. As soon as he was on most of the way, Doc hoped in the back and stayed close to him now as Joe got back tot he passenger seat.

"You need to get us out of here like a bat out of hell!" He said to me, another bullet almost hitting the both of us as I slammed the jeep in reverse.

"Hold on!" I said to Doc in the back, seeing him brace himself and Buck in the back as I whirled the jeep around within seconds. Joe slammed his hands in front of him from not crashing into the dashboard, and as soon as we were facing the right direction, I threw the jeep into drive and I slammed down on the pedal. Once again, we were flying down the dirt path, and I had to make sure that I was going to get the other three men in my jeep out of there alive and not get them hurt. Joe faced backwards towards the back of the jeep and shot at anyone who was about to shoot Doc or Buck, protecting them as I was still trying to get us out of the small area where it was still dangerous to be in.

"Keep Buck on the jeep!" Joe said to Doc as he was still dressing Buck's wound, Doc holding onto him before he looked up at Joe and I looked back at him briefly. Doc was giving me an annoying glare in his face.

"Could you drive any smoother?!" He asked almost in irritation.

"You wanna live?!" I asked him back, seeing him roll his eyes as I got us out there, out in one piece. I could only hope that this battle was going to end, and end soon.

But it was still looking bleak from where we were.


	15. Chapter 15

Night fell over us quickly then, and it was the firs time we were not feeling so great about the battle we were trying to win. We even had to leave from too much heavy fire that was coming our way, much to the dismay of Winters. He didn't want to leave, but then again he didn't want to leave behind another soldier that could be hurt or dead. So it was no real choice for us, we had to leave the area behind now.

But it was worse, with no sign of Bull anywhere.

We couldn't find him as soon as the battle began, he got separated from us as soon as the bullets were flying, which frightened all of us because of the mere fact that he was one of the smaller officers and lead some of the replacements that were now leaderless. I felt bad for them, they looked up to Bull very much so since he was a great leader to them, both stern and yet kind enough to judge them in the right direction without biting their heads off. Now they seemed more like a stray lamb without their shepherd, and I felt bad for them.

Night was hanging over us, the moon was not as bright as before, but when we were hiding out in some of the barns along the countryside, I saw in horror The mere town we were celebrating a festival in, now was glowing orange. It was lit in flames, and it made me wonder if the men and women in there out of there alive, let alone any of the children. It made me worry, but once again I was stuck since we could still hear the Germans there in the town, and it was worse because we didn't know where Bull was.

"You know, looking at the flames all night ain't no bring Bull back." I heard George behind me, having me keep my own eyes there in the small darkness of a horizon with the orange tinted glow that was still there, still roaring with both life and death. It left a bitter taste in my mouth to watch it really

"I know it won't." I said to him as I heard him from behind me walking over, his boots hitting the hay underneath him now as he stood behind me. He was close enough for me to feel him against my back, but ti was a gentle kind of touch, nothing more or less.

"I heard that you rode a jeep out there," He said to me, not sounding mad as I thought he would but more like he was stating a fact to me, "Got Buck out of there too."

"I had to do what I had to do." I reminded him carefully then, hearing him chuckle lightly and my look was more surpassed than anything.

"I know you did, and I know that you did save his sorry ass….literally." He said in a light manner now, having me smile for the first time all day that day. He then reach and took my hand within him own, still staying behind me but having our fingers laced together so lightly it was as if he was afraid to breaking me if he placed too much pressure there.

"I was still worried though since you were driving into the heavy fire with that battle going on," I squeezed his fingers into my own after I heard that from him. I knew he was trying to not sound so concerned with me, and yet he was still trying to give me some kind of gentle hit that he didn't like what I did. Poor George, he was trying to tiptoe around this without getting a lecture from me.

"I know," I replied softly to him now, still not moving but then again not raising my voice to him,"I wouldn't blame you for being scared for me. If I was in your shoes, I would be petrified."

"But you weren't scared for me today?" He asked me, sounding unconvinced about it, "You make it sound like…you didn't care." At that point, I turned my heads slightly in his direction for him to see one of my eyes there and how I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He looked hurt from this conversation, almost like a sad puppy really.

"You know that I do," I replied to him, not wanting to sound more emotional about it than anything, "I did think about you out there, George."

"I know you did, I just needed to hear it from you is all." George reminded me, having me give him a small smile before looking back ahead of me again to see the small glimmer of light there in the town, the range glow that was making me sick to my stomach.

"Come on, you don't have to watch that if you don't want to." George reminded me again with his soft tone that was both laced with reassurance and with concern since I was looking like I was hated what I was seeing there in the distance. He wanted me to not be so down on myself, and yet I was trying to keep myself as human as humanly possible.

"I can't just go back in there without knowing where Bull is." I said to him as he once again squeezed my fingers within his own and nudged me back to where he was.

"No good will come if you keep staring at the town, thinking' he'll come walking this way. I know the guy: he can take care of himself if he's in trouble. trust me." He reminded me himself as I sighed and turned to finally look at him dead on. He looked worn out from the battle himself, dirt smudged on his face and jawline, his hair was oily a bit from the sweat and from being under his helmet. I was just more concerned about his eyes, how hollow they looked because of all that happened to us within the last few hours.

"Come on, you need to get some sleep like the rest of us." George said to me in kindness as we were still holding hands with me as we were now walking back into the barn, having me hear the others in the same barn snoring in their own areas along the hay piles and corners of the walls. George was leading me over towards the back where no one was really since I could hear the rest of the men in the barn snoring away and already dreaming on their own.

"Here, I have a spot here for us." he said to me, pointing to what looked like a rather cushiony area of hay that was big enough for at least three people to lay in, but from how George was leading me over there, I was guessing he was not going to let me sleep alone.

"You going to guard me as I sleep, I take it?" I asked him, not wanting to sound coy about it at all, but then again it was odd enough to think about since I was not used to someone doing this for me.

"Don't want the other guys thinking that you sleepin' here alone would be the best time for them to—" He stated, but I gave him a look to cut him off.

"Luz!" I said from the sheer thought and scandal way of thinking that.

"I'm just saying. I know none of the guys in Easy are gonna touch you, but then again it donut's hurt to be too careful." He replied to me as we stopped in front of the hay pile. It still seemed silly for him to stay with me, yet again I knew he would be the protective type when it came to me. I had no real reason to push him away, let alone the energy to do such a thing since I knew he would do anything to me with my own consent with him to knowledge. George was too good to me to do something like that. I was just glad the both of us were alive and together again, given the circumstances that we lost to one battle, I was left to their disposal since it was not safe enough for me to get back to England, and one of our own how was a friend of mine was lost somewhere out there. I knew George was trying his hardest to make it better for me, for the both of us.

"Come on, lay down a bit." He said to me now with a small tone of hope there, having me sigh in defeat and walk towards the middle of the hay, lowering myself onto my knees and then onto my back then on my side. I was thinking that I was going to be left alone there, but then again I was wrong since George too got onto his knees next to me and laid down to face me on his side, having me watch him rest his head against the hay and watch me with his warm brown eyes and I looked at him in confusion, he too looked tired beyond words. I could only wonder what his day was like, what he did out there in the battle and what he saw.

"Tell me about today." I said to him softly since we were so close to one another that it would have been too silly to talk in our regular tones. He cocked his eyebrow at me in wonder.

"What do you mean, Adaline?" He asked me, having me smile and curled one of my arms to be under my head to use as a pillow.

"I wanna hear about what happened today." I explained.

"Why would you wanna know?" He asked, still not getting where I was going with this.

"For one, I am wondering what my own boyfriend did out there in battle," I reminded him, seeing his cheeky grin once again on his face, "Plus, it'll help you sleep if you talk about what happened out there, since you look like you wanna stay awake more than you wanna sleep."

"Just wanting to make sure you're gonna be okay here," He said to me with his kind tone that made me giggle.

"Don't place your own needs behind my own, you need to sleep too." I said to him, seeing him scoot a bit closer to me now as he carefully reached over to touch the edge of my combat jacket within his fingers and I watched him do that action. I could see he wanted to be close, and yet he was hesitant since this was still a scandal for others to see if they were going to wake up. We both were not ready to take that risk, not yet. So George sighed deeply, looking from my jacket to my eyes and I felt like I was lost in those orbs that he harbored.

"We were getting the heavy fire out there, Adaline, Everything was flying all around us, it was insane to see and try to get out in one piece…" George told me everything that he saw, both the good and that bad. I listened to every word, seeing it all in my head and how George told me about the couple of replacements that were under Bull's care. It was painful to hear, even see it on his face. I had to let him talk about it though: it would have been his only chance of some kind of therapy he was ever going to get out here in the war. We all needed therapy: some and guns to shoot, others had alcohol, but I think Georg just needed to talk it out and get it out of his system, one way or another.

We both feel asleep, facing each other and holding one hand between us. I didn't know whether or not it was because we were afraid of dying that night, or just the fact that we needed something to hold onto to remind us of reality.

But I was glad, just holding his hand to remind me I was alive.

* * *

_I dreamed I was back with Beth again, but this time, it wasn't a pleasant dream-like the ones before. I was coming home from the war, and she was waiting for me in front of the house with Aaron, who was happy to see me. Yet Beth, she was looking at me like I was some kind of stranger to her. I was smiling at her, kneeling to the floor in front of her for me to be at her level, and yet she was looking at me uncertainty and with fear in her eyes. She then started crying, having me hear her through her sobs one phrase that shook me awake._

_"You're not my mother!"_

I woke up in the same spot in the haystack, the cold morning coming through the barn now as everyone else was fast asleep. I thought I overslept, but then again I was still shaking from the dream I just had that made me feel like I wanted to be sick. Looking over, I saw George still fast asleep next to me, lightly snoring and his mouth hanging open slightly. He looked too far gone to hear me wake up, a deep sleeper I took from that and I was glad I didn't wake him. The last thing I wanted to deal with was George fawning over me to make sure I was doing okay. I still cared for him, but he had to calm it down a bit with me when it came to protection. I had to talk to him more about it, but then again he knew that I could handle anything.

Well, not the recent nightmare I had.

I slowly got up from the hay pile I was in, George stirring a bit before he was still out of it in his sleep and I walked away from him. I needed to walk around a bit, to get my own mind back at ease and make sure I was going to be okay throughout the rest of the day. Walking out of the room quietly to not wake the other men and their resting, I made my way out and over to the opening of the barn, where the crisp morning air was coming into the barn itself and giving the creaks and moans that the wood walls were getting. I only see the fog rolling over the hills that were going to be gone soon because of the sun, and yet my mind was still too occupied with my daughter and what I saw in my nightmare.

Was I going to be gone for far too long for her to not recognize me? I knew that happened before with others, and now it was going to be a worry for me to try and live with. I wanted to make sure she knew who I was and if she was going to want to see me again. Beth was never a child that would hate, I knew that of course. But then again, that dream felt so real to me that it almost broke me down in tears. I never thought I would be away for this long, and if I was going to change too much from either the injuries or war or just the war itself wearing me down to my bones.

"You're awake far too early, O'Malley." Winters walk over to me now, having me see him with his own hands shoved in his pockets and the look of weariness on his face as he stood next to me. WE both were looking out on the town, where I was hours before in the dead of night and seeing it all in flames. Now, it was only smoke there and it was rising into the sky, along with the horrific sight of the town that looked had blown to bits.

"Couldn't sleep in, sir." I said back to him, watching him from the corner of my eye as he too was analyzing the town that was both so close and yet so far away from us within our barn.

"Whats on your mind?" he asked me, having me fully look at him now and see once again the kindness that was evident there on his face, "I can tell if someone's looking rather troubled." he gave me a small smile, the kind a friend would give another and yet he was still holding some kind of leadership stance there.

"Thinking of my daughter, sir." I replied back to him, seeing him nod at me once since he knew about my daughter and what I have told him about her, "I'm getting worried about her."

"Define worry." he asked me, having me shift a bit within my own boots and feel the picture I had carried within me in the jacket pocket that was pressed against my chest now. I didn't really feel like spilling out my feelings to Winters now since it would already make me feel worse about myself as an emotional basket case.

"Just being away from her for far too long." I replied to him, seeing him now his head after watching me with my long pause.

"Understandable," He replied back to me calmly, having me look at him in surprise,"I miss my family a bit too."

"You have children, sir? If you don't mind me asking," I said to him now in intrigue and wonder as he shook his head with a small smile on his lips.

"I don't ...no, but I grew up around kids with a pretty big family, so I kind of get what you're feeling." Winters explained to me now, "However, it's not the same since I don't have a child myself."

"I know she's in good hands with her Uncle, my brother. But then again, I didn't realty think to how long we were going to be out here in the war." I explained to him more thoroughly.

"None of us know when we can go home," Winters advised me softly, and I knew he was telling me this for a real good reason, "All we can do now is keep fighting every day and make sure we can find our way back home when it's time." I nodded in agreement then, knowing that what he was saying was true. We didn't know when we were going to head home, but all we could do within this moment was just go through every day, fighting with all we have in order to make sure we do get to go home, back to our families and friends, back to our old lives. Then again, the more we were in the war, wearing the same jacket and boots, and going through the same routine, this was becoming more and more of my life then the real life back at home.

* * *

"Load up the jeep and get ready to move out, Winters' orders." I was shifting the jeep into the park mode as we were all meeting up within the edge of a grassy field, most of the Company that did survive the day before were all meeting out there together. After I had my talk with Winters and the sun came over the hills to move the fog away from the ground, the others came around to wake up and get ready for our move out. George was still asleep when I walked back over the small piece of hay we were at, having me wake him and tell him that we were moving out soon. I was glad he didn't wake up earlier to freak out over me, yet he was still looking charming with his cheeky grin and some of the straw and hay stuck in his hair. But all of us were thinking the same thing at once: Bull.

There was still no sign of him anywhere since we started loading the trucks that morning. Some of us were still convinced he was still out there, somewhere, hiding out and trying to keep his body hidden. Others thought he was utterly lost, though they in return were getting death glares from Wild Bill and heated looks from Johnny Martin. They both still believed Bull was still alive, and I had to believe the same thing as well. Better to be optimistic than anything, at least that's what I was thinking.

I walked over to my own jeep, getting my keys ready in my hand as the others were all talking to one another, wondering where Bull was. Joe and Christenson were waiting by my car, having their own smokes and Shifty was there too, sitting on the hood of my car as I approached them all. They all looked rather solemn about the whole situation with Bull, yet I knew none of them was going to say anything about it since I walked over to them.

"He's not back, is he?" I asked them all, seeing them look at me with those eyes of worry and they shook their head. This was not going well in our favor, since Bull was a favorite with us as a friend and fellow soldier of war, but then again I didn't want to add to the heartache that I knew they were all feeling. So I straightened up a bit in front of them, not wanting to show my own weakness of worry or fear for my friend.

"He'll be fine, don't worry about him," I said to the group of boys, seeing them eye me again with a new sense of twinkle in their eyes, "Bull knows what he's doing. You have to have faith."

"Faith?" Joe asked, not sounding so sure about it himself with a snort in his tone.

"Yeah, have faith that Bull knows how to take care of himself when it comes to being out there alone. And have faith that he was trained well." I explained to him mostly though the others could hear what I was hearing. I could hear someone chuckling behind me, having me look over and see it was Guarnere who was carrying over some more supplies to place in the truck. He was grinning, probably from hearing what I told him.

"Leave it to O'Malley to bring our hopes up," He said in a chuckle as he placed the supplies on the back, walking back over to me to place an arm around my shoulder, "Leave it to this one to brings us back to earth and not shit bricks. You remind me of a girl I knew back at home."

"Which girl, dare I ask?" Christensen asked him in a coy manner.

"My girl: Fran. The sweetheart of my life back in Philly. She's more of a pistol than O'Malley here, but just a pretty." Guarnere replied as he playfully shoved me away and I glared at him for calling me practically a cream puff. Joe chuckle from seeing the look I was giving him as Guarnere was walking away back over to the bigger group of men there talking together.

"Don't listen to Good Ol' Gonorrhea. I think you're tough." Joe reassured me, having me look back at him now as he was inhaling another drag from his cigarette. I didn't believe him then though I knew he was trying to make me feel better, "I can't wait to see the moment when you show us you're tough with your fist."

"Just with my fist?" I asked Joe, seeing him shrug his shoulders.

"Well, you are already tough enough to put up with us hooligans and fuckers." He explained to me, having em finally feel a small tug of a smile on my lips as he said this to me. He must have seen another side of me, another way of toughness that did not involve my fist or shooting a gun. I had to wonder how he found that toughness within me, but that was now out of the picture since we heard some of the guys starting to cheer, like something wonderful just happened in the mass shiftiness of war. Joe and I looked over, even seeing Wild Bull going over to the area with a smirk on his face.

"What's going on?" I asked Joe and we both started to walk over to the group of our friends. Joe shrugged his shoulders then, but it was the one person in the middle of the whole group that made me realize why they were all smiling again: the large strawberry blond giant himself.

Bull.

"I don't know whether to kiss, hug ya or salute ya!" Guarnere said to him in a hoot as both Joe and I cracked grins. I was just glad he was okay, a wound to the shoulder from what I could see but none the less he was smiling like he was on some leisurely stroll and he came back to tell us all about it. The others were talking to him excitedly about what happened and how he ended up wounded since they thought he was indestructible. I stayed behind a bit to give him some time with the others, but Joe walked over to talk to him too, leaving me out a bit there in the open as I was watching him grin at all of his friends and fellow soldiers. I was just glad he made it back alive, and nothing really shook him to the core to the point of him changing what he was once before.

"See, I told you he was going to be okay." I looked over to my left, seeing George there and his smirk there, watching Bull for a moment with that childlike wonder there on his face that I was missing most that day. His optimism was most needed in times like these, when we would have a soldier one day and the next day he would die, or when we have no clue where we were going to end up the next morning. There were plenty of things to worry about out here in the war, especially for me since in a male driven occupation and circumstances. I didn't know where I was going to be within those days, even months, and the mere reality of war was seeping under my skin more than the optimism of going home. It was seeping away from me, but I knew George was still holding onto to.

He was holding onto the dream of going home, and I had to as well.

"That you did." I commented back to him, looking from Bull again over at George, who was smirking at me now with a coy look on his face.

"Oh come on, you don't want to admit that I was right and you were a worry wart, don't ya?" He asked me, trying to be playful with me once again and I chuckled from his antic. He was right on that end, I was a worry wart about the whole thing. But then again, I didn't want to be the one to admit it.

"You want me to say it in front of you and all of the boys, don't ya?" I asked him back in my own teasing manner, since it was already just George that I can be this way with, slowly and surely my shyness was melting away from me though I had to real reason to stop it.

"I would never do that to you, though it is tempting really." he replied back, having me chuckle at him and see the glint in his eyes of having a smile back on my face.

"You wouldn't dare." I warned him with a teasing kind of manner. He shook his head, having me glad that some things were staying the same in this chaotic world that we were living in.

"You're right, I wouldn't."

* * *

**October 1944**

**Royal Airfare Base, Upper Hayfield**

**Oxfordshire, England**

"You're grounded and staying out of the air, for now O"Malley." I was floored when they gave me this news, sitting in one of the commodore's offices back in England and thinking that I was going to get another assignment when it came to flying a plane. But it was not the case, since I've been back here at the base for about two weeks now, while the others in Easy Company were just going around, place to place with small assignments here and there. I was not needed to drive them around at that point, a waste of gas and of a perfectly good pilot was what they told me when I returned to England after leaving the boys in Holland. Since my return, I was helping with the maintenance upkeep with the planes and jeeps, not to mention making a few friends here and there to keep my own thoughts sane and not be a total hermit.

"Have I done something wrong, sir?" I asked him, clearly not understanding why I was no longer considered flying in the air while the friends I met were fly to and from the war with their own supplies. The commander in front of me, hands folded in front of him on his desk and his stern look on his face. It wasn't that he was the most hated commander in the area, but then he wasn't the most liked. I just knew that I wouldn't find myself talking my way out of this one with him.

"No, but we have no need to send you out in the field as of right now." it was short and simple to be said about ti really, and I was still confused was to why I would be the only one who was going to be placed on the ground compared to the others, "But we will still send you into work alongside Easy Company as their driver. We can't let you stay with them overnight though, but we'll figure something out for you."

"Of course, sir." I said back to him, clearly not wanting to have a fight with him today and get into trouble. I was more along the line of keeping my nose to the ground and not making a fuss about anything really. But then again, I knew something was off with this news, and it had to be because I was a Female pilot in England, already a sore thumb for others to see and a bright neon sign hanging over my head. But in this case, I was not going to voice what I was feeling within that moment to him.

"You can head out early the next morning and meet up with Easy Company, and report back to us of any of the progress that you're making from there on out." He explained to me, having me stand up in the chair and salute him since I knew the conversation was over. He saluted me back as I then walked out of the office before letting out a deep breath and leaned against the wall in the hallway of the building. Others were walking to and fro, not seeing me try and sink in the fact that I was denied to fly a plane because I was a female. He didn't say it clearly to my face, but I could see how he was saying it with his eyes and how he was sitting in the chair. I knew body language, and he was clearly telling me without telling me boldly.

Goddamnit.

* * *

"He can't do that, can he?" I was talking to Aaron on the phone, and once I told him about what happened with the commander, he was not happy about it at all.

"Well, he just did. I couldn't tell him anything else, Aaron." I reminded him, hearing him groan on the other end. I knew my brother would be mad, he was always mad about something when it came to me and my well-being.

"I need to pop that guy right in the face, a mean right hook would make him suffice." Aaron said to me, having me give him a dry laugh.

"Oh please, I would never let you do that since not only are you my daughters uncle, you are a college professor." I said to him, almost scolding him like a mother would.

"You do sound like mom for a second there, but hey you're out there trying to keep your head above the water so I can't do anything else." he replied, having me sigh in relief, "I got the money from the letter you sent.

"How much does that make?" I asked him.

"Enough for the both of you to be pretty stable really. I know you don't need much, not to mention Beth since she can play with a freaking leaf for hours and be entertained." I giggled from his explanation, "Look, Adaline, I know you're doing this for Beth and everything…but I don't want you to get overworked in this."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, hearing nothing from him for a moment or two before I knew he had something else to say to me that I knew would be serious.

"Adaline, when was the last time you slept more than 5 hours?" He asked me, having me pause to think about what he asked of me. Sleeping? I had no real recollecting about that really since I have been walking around and moving around far too much to just sit and rest.

"When was the last time you had a real meal in your stomach?" He asked me another question, and one again, I was silent about it since I was also trying to remember my food intact.

"Where are you going with this?" I asked him finally, not wanting to tiptoe around it or play games.

"Soldiers are already coming back from being over there, and most of them, if not all of them, are screwed up and not the same at all. The war is changing them," Aaron explained to me now in a serious tone, "These guys are wrecked from what happened to them."

"Really?" I pondered with him.

"I know some of them were injured, losing an arm or leg or even one of their eyes, but the others are too high sprung to just get through the day. Some of my students came home, and they were never the same since they left for the army. They're depressed, things scare them more easily, and some of them committed suicide." I froze when he told me this. I knew war thaws going to take a toll, but not this kind of toll on those who came home so early in the game of war. The toll of the mind and how it starts to play tricks on you, telling you that you are back in the battle and all you have to do is try to survive.

"This is what I'm talking about, Adaline. I don't want this to happen to you, of all people. It's different for you since you're the only Goddamn girl over there, not to mention a pilot that could die within seconds—"

"Aaron, I'm going to be okay," I reassured him, trying to cut him off from saying anything else that could lead him to having another meltdown over the phone, "I'm working with a bunch of guys who are going to take care of me since they see me as family over here now. And plus, they're not letting me fly, remember? I'm going to stay out of the way as much as passable since everything here in the freaking base thinks I"m a nuisance and they don't want me around."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Aaron trailed off.

"Don't be cocky." I warned him.

"And you, don't be reckless," He warned me now, his older brother tone was on me again and I stayed still there in the hallway with the phone to my ear, "I know about your nightmares about Beth forgetting you since you tell me those in your letters, but my own nightmare is either seeing you come home in a coffin, or not the same sister I grew up with." I still didn't say anything, I had to know what he was feeling within that moment and how he was trying to deal with his own sister, and the mother of his niece, being on the other side of the world and fighting for the war that no one wanted to be a part in.

"Adaline, I need to hear it from you, that you're going to do whatever it takes to be careful," Aaron pleaded to me on the phone line,"I know you can hold your own and you've been holding your own since you were fourteen, but this is different. You have a family here that is waiting for you to come home, I want you tor remember that."

"You think I forgot any of your while I'm over here?" I asked him.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I just…I don't want to be the one to explain to your child that her mother died…or will never function that same way again." I cringed, already dreading that conversation to happen with Beth. This is what I wanted to have weighed heavily on my shoulders now though I knew it was already there. Now it felt like I was doing to drown in the ocean because my brother and to remind me of what was at stake over here in the war. Either way, I was going to come out of this damaged, whether it's in a body bag, or with my mind scrambled. I would think the boys in Easy Company would be thinking the same thing themselves, how they were going to pick up their own pieces and get back to their own lives that used to be normal. How was I going to be able to do that now? I had more to take home with me than I did when I came into the war, including a particular soldier who stole my heart away without even blinking twice.

"I won't," I reminded him, not saying a word or two after in order to take another deep breath, "I Promise."

I Promise.


	16. Chapter 16

**October 5th, 1944**

**Saint-Jean-de-Daye Airfield, **

**Normandy, France**

There were two large bangs on my door, having me rub my eyes and shoot up from my bed. The apartment I was staying in was cramped, but it was fine none the less since I had no roommate. Checking my watch that I left on the nightstand next to the bed, I saw that it was nearly 3 in the morning now, having me wonder what was going on and why I was woken up so abruptly.

A bunch of us from the airfield in England were transferred over to Normandy, France for the war. D-Day was long gone and we were still in the heat of the war, they figured to get us closer to the men as much as possible and help out with the French, yet the airfield we were at now was American occupied. But this meant we were closer to the others in Easy and other Companies, no more hopping on planes and then driving. That was fine by me.

"O'Malley, get up and prepped! You're needed with Easy!" I heard on the other side of the wooden door, having me rub my hair and smooth it down before I could sink in what they were saying. Was I already needed this early? With Easy? What was going on and why as it at this God forsaken hour in the morning? I walked over to grab my jacket to throw it on, getting my arms with the sleeves before opening the door and seeing a Sergeant there, holding a letter there within his hand. We saluted each other though my face was a bit more on a groggy side as he placed the paper in my hands.

"You're moving out in 15 minutes on the next plane out to Holland, bring all your gear with you." I replied before saluting me once more and then walking back down the hallway. I heard another door open on my left side, none other than Jones who help fly Easy Company members in Holland was looking at me with his own bleary eyes and messed up hair.

"What the hell, O'Malley? You in trouble now?" He asked, his accent thick with confusion and in sleepiness. I shook my head, looking down at the letter now and seeing the typed information there for me to read.

"No idea." I replied to him, hearing him gruff in annoyance and close his door again. I unfolded the letter rubbing my eyes once more with my fingers as I tried to sew what was going on with Easy. I was still grounded, even after my talk a couple of days prior with the head man, and also with my brother on the phone who was wanting me not to come back with a screwed up brain, or in a coffin. I was already weighed down with that thought in mind, this was going to make it worse since I froze up after what I read in the letter.

Easy was in trouble.

* * *

"What happened to them boys of yours?" Jones asked me as he once again poked his head out from his apartment and I was standing in the hallway, grabbing my bag with my tools and my boots along the way to throw them on my feet.

"They're drifting along the lines near the enemy, a couple of their own got hit and they are going in to take out the rest," I explained as I laced up one boot, kneeling on the floor whilst doing so, "The Germans have too many for them to take out alone."

"What do they need you for?" Jones asked, kneeling down in front of me to watch as I got my other boot on my right foot now.

"They need their driver, Jones. Apparently they don't any other driver than me, don't know why." I replied back to him, already wanting to get out of there and get on the road. I was about to get up when Jones joined me, the both of us staring at each other and having me wonder why he was there in the first place and not back in bed where the others are.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, watching him walk over to where his room was, reach in with his long arm and then pull out his combat jacket and getting it on one sleeve after another.

"I'm goin' with you." he said to me in a reply that seemed so simple, and yet when I looked at him I was shocked to hear that from him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, following him a bit into his room as he was getting his own bag and throwing on his shoes as well.

"I ain't gonna let my friend go driving all by herself in the middle of the night while we're at war," Jones explained to me, I could still hear the accent in his voice was he shuffling around his room to grab his things now, yet I was still finding it confusing as to why I would need help of any kind.

"I can handle a night drive." I reassured him with a kind tone to it since I doubted he would want me to be bitchy with him this early in the morning. I really didn't have the energy to tell him to stay back in his own room.

"And I ain't saying you can't. I'm sayin', I'm going with ya whether you like it or not." He replied to me, walking out of his room and having me join him once again in the hallway as he closed his door.

"You'll be in trouble if you come with me, since this is only a solo mission," I reminded him, seeing him chuckle and shrug his shoulders.

"What's the worst they can do to me? Send me back to the states? I'd rather take a night drive with you than wait for another couple of days and waste away." He explained to me, having me realize that he was saying. I wasn't the only one being grounded from going into the skies, we were so close in the war that any other air time would be hazardous and dangerous. I grinned at him, the both of us hoisting our bags over our shoulders then and started to walk down the hallway to the stairs that would take us out of the apartments we were staying in.

"You driving or am I?" He asked me casually, having me see him over at me now since he was taller and lankier than I was. I eyed him, hearing him chuckle again as we reached the stairs.

"No way in hell you're drivin', Jones."

* * *

"You are this is the right place?" Jones asked me from his seat next to my own, having me slow down a bit in the jeep now as we were both scanning the area now with our eyes. We drove to one of the smaller passage planes, the stealth planes that they would use from time to time to get past the enemy lines without being caught. We were only in the air for about 4 hours, having me be glad to get off the plane as soon as we touched the ground and we walked us over to the jeep that they gave us. We started our driving along the banks of the enemy territory, yet we were briefed that there was no real sign of the enemy in sight. I was glad of that since Jones and I were the only ones allowed to get waiting those barriers and find Easy. Once again, I had to hide my gender in which I placed my hair under a bandana and then under my helmet in case we were going to be pulled over. After driving with Jones for an hour or two, above the speed limit with the cutting of curves and sharp turn, we made it to the area where Easy was supposed to be. Apparently.

"I got the coordinates here." I said to him pointing with my fingerless gloves onto the map that was on the dashboard, Jones moved his feet from the dashboard where he had them prepped up, hovering over the spot where we were supposed to be and he placed his own compass there to make sure we got it right. All I could see was open field around us, grass that was not luscious and green, and also painted in brown and a hint of red from some blood. Another thing that we saw hovering in the sky was smoke. Red smoke.

"Is that from your boys?" Jones asked, pointing with his finger up at the smoke that was still rising into the sky, "Army boys only use that there smoke."

"It has to be." I replied to him, getting the jeep into another gear and then chugging along the muddy road and then getting closer. As we were moving along, I could hear more and more men talking to each other, and the scene was getting bigger and bigger in front of me. Bodies, bodies everywhere on the floor. Mostly Germans, and I had to make sure I didn't recognize any of the bodies from where I was in the jeep. They were all strangers to me, which gave me a small sense of victory. I was glad I wasn't seeing the dead body of Talbert, or of Bull, Martin. Then again I had no idea where they all where, especially Luz.

Where in the hell was he?

"There, over there O' Malley." He said to me now, pointing and tapping my shoulder with his spare hand. I looked over, turning the jeep to ease into the mass group of American soldiers who were all standing together, trying to recover from the battle they were just in. Some of them were huddled with medics on one side of the road, others were talking together on the other side about what happened. Towards the end of the road that was curving to what would be a battalion, a group of surrender or captured German soldiers were huddled by our soldiers at gunpoint.

"Sweet Mary Mother." Jones said to me in a gasp, having me look with my eyes too at the sight of the wounded men and how much of a miracle it was that they were all still alive.

"Ya'll arrived too late, Flyboys!" Someone yelled at us as we were passing them by, yet we paid them no mind as I saw some of the men from Easy, sitting together and looking out of it. I got the jeep over to their direction, getting the jeep to stop and turn off the engine as some of the men looked over at us now with big eyes on their faces.

"Adaline! Hey, guys, it's Adaline!" I grinned when they said my name like I haven't seen them in years really. I hopped out of the jeep, Jones staying back a bit as I saw some of them rush over to me now. It was Talbert, Bull, Perconte, Christenson and others who saw me and walked over with grins there, like they weren't in that battle at all. Tablet gave me a big hug as I heard him chuckle in my ear.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me, pulling back for me to see the look of battle on his own face.

"They called me out of bed to tell me ya'll needed help." I replied, feeling Bull clasp me on the back now with his smile there.

"I think ya'll came a bit too late for our likin'." Bull said to me in his low tone.

"Sorry that I couldn't drive myself, I would have made it earlier. But Jones and I had to fly halfway here." I explained, the men laughing from my remark, "I'm here at your disposal."

"I think Doc is in need of a jeep or two to get some of the wounded out of here." Talbert explained to me now, pointing with his finger over to the area where the medics were. I looked around for a moment, seeing the slender pale medic with his raven hair and look of determination on his face. I grinned.

"Consider it done," I said back to Talbert as I clasped him on the shoulder before looking back at Jones who was still in the jeep, "Come on, Jones. We have work to do."

"You got it, milady." Jones replied, hopping out of the jeep in more of a sloppy state than usual. We both walked over through the mass amount of men, trying to not lose each other or the sight of Doc since we were going to help him, but I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I had to turn and look, seeing none other than Winters and Joe Liebgott talking to each other. But it didn't look like a pleasant conversation. No, Joe looked like he was being scolded by Winters himself, maybe he did something wrong and Winters didn't like it one bit. I had no clue, but I was now looking ahead again since I almost ran into a couple of the soldiers once or twice.

"Doc." I called to Eugene, seeing him turn and see me with both eyes of relief and eyes of shock to see me there. I grinned at him, seeing him grin back at me and walk over in three strides before he hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in almost a mumble to me now as he was hugged me close. I breathe him in, glad to see my friend once more and seeing that he was once again nowhere near the fight and I had no need to worry.

"I came to help in any way I can." I reminded him, as he pulled away and I eyed him up and down. He was getting bags under his eyes and his eyes were slowly getting darker, maybe it was because of the war or how he was slowly losing himself in his own work as the medic.

"Glad you're here then. I need your jeep to take some of these men who are wounded back to the base and over to the hospital." Doc explained to me, pointing with his pale fingers to those who he wanted first, "I want those four first out of here, they need the most medical attention out of the whole lot."

"You got it, Doc." Jones said to him as we both walked over to the first cot, seeing a man who looked like he suffered from a bad bullet wound. Jones got on one side and I the other, hoisting him up with ease as we were walking him over to the jeep now.

"Hey, you two! Help them out and get this private to the jeep!" Doc hollered at another pair of medics who weren't doing anything.

"You've been workin' out, O'Malley?" Jones asked me as he was eyeing me and my end of the cot. I chuckled at him as we placed the soldier and his cot on the backside of the jeep with ease. The two other medics brought the second wounded private over and placed it on the front over the hood. I hopped in the driver's seat, Jones standing on the passenger seat and hover over the private who was literally riding on the hood of the car. Doc walked over to the both of us, standing near me now as I got the jeep roaring to life once more.

"Take this road for about two miles, the hospital should be there according to the English who helped us. Get them unloaded there and come back for more." He explained to me.

"You got it, Doc." I replied to him, I then saw him place his hand on my arm to stop me from driving off with the wounded.

"Did you see George yet?" He asked me, having me shake my head at him. He looked around a bit before keeping his eyes back at me now, having me wonder what was going on and why would Doc ask me if I saw Luz yet. Did he know? Did he have some kind of clue as to what was going on with George and I?

"The officers have been talkin' about the both of you," he said to me in a low manner, and my grip on the steering wheel was a bit tighter then. This was not what I wanted, and this was the worst and I feared, "They ain't liking what they're seeing, you two talkin' together on a constant, and being closer together than the others."

"What are they saying?" I asked him, seeing that this was already uncomfortable enough for him to talk about with me, and he had to be the one to tell me the sorrowful news.

"Just be mindful of what you two are doin'," Doc only said to me as a piece of advice, "Be careful, since there are eyes and ears everywhere in this company that is more than willin' to get you two in trouble."

"Like who?" I asked him, not thinking of a single person that would personally want to get myself and George in trouble. I had no real problems with any of them, not one. So how is this happening now?

"I ain't gonna say a name, but I'm just warnin' you as my friend." He advised me, having me slowly nod my head at him now since I didn't want to interrogate him on who was going to make my life a living hell. He gave me his usual small smile, but I could see the caution behind those eyes since he didn't want me to get hurt. Doc would never want me that another person, and I felt him release his hold on my arm as I drove away with Jones still holding onto the wounded soldier. I said nothing the whole ride, my mind still soaking in how I felt like I was in hot water.

I was royally screwed.

* * *

By the time we got most if not all the wounded out of the open plains of that field, most of the men were sitting together along the grass and chatting with one another. I saw Muck, Penkala and Makably together, Doc and Spina helping others get coffee, and the rest were reloading their weapons with spare bullets they found amongst the dead. I was sitting against the jeep with Jones, the both of us watching with our own combat Air Force gear on and wondering if we were going to be able to go back to Normandy again, or if we were, once again, stuck with Easy until further notice. I was about to find out since I saw Colonel Sink himself walking over to the both of us with the look of battle on his own face and how he was carrying himself amongst the men. We both saluted him as he approached.

"At ease you two, and thank you for coming out on short notice to help my boys. Although, I only called out for O'Malley to come out." He said, eyeing Jones with a bit of hesitance there on his face.

"He insisted on helping me, sir," I explained, Sink's eyes going back to me now as I cleared my throat but stayed still against the jeep, "It wasn't really a smart decision for me to go alone through the night on short notice."

"Understandable," Sink replied back to me, "I am also letting you know that you both, along with several other pilots from the American Air Force, are being transferred over to the Air Force base in France, they are need of more pilots there with supply runs and weapon drops."

"We're moving to Paris, Sir?" Jones asked him, looking more intrigued by the news than I was.

"Effective Immediately. You two got high marks with the American Air Force and with that, both of you are being transferred out to Paris as soon as tomorrow morning and you'll be there until further notice." Sink explained to the both of us, having me shift a bit now.

"Thank you, sir." I said to him, not wanting to be rude from not saying a word or two to him about the whole thing.

"Pleasure is mine. Grab a coffee and relax. You two head out on the next plane to France on 0600." He explained, the both of us saluting again as he walked away from us now. As soon as he was far enough away, I sighed in both relief that I was not facing him, and in defeat since it meant that I was moving once again to another spot in Europe. It felt like more I was being used as a pawn, or even a paper bag at this point since I had to real home base to begin with.

"Hey, this beats having to talk to those British Uptights," Jones said in Optimism as I was leaned against the jeep, breathing out like I was holding in a breath for minutes, "I have heard that the French was extra friendly to talk to."

"Yeah, well that should be the silver lining I guess." I muttered to him, turning back around to face my jeep and place my hands on the metal there. Jones was eyeing me, reading me again and I felt like he was about to release a whole can of worms from that one look.

"You know when that Doc guy was talkin' to you, about you and that George fella that you're keen on…" He trailed off as I connected my eyes with him. How could he know? I said nothing to him at all, and yet it was another case of people knowing something that I thought I was hiding pretty well. God, I hated it.

"Oh come on, It's pretty obvious when I see you read a letter from him or talk about him with the other pilots. You're pinning for the guy, and there ain't no shame in it," He explained to me now, still nonchalant about the whole thing.

"You gonna tease me on it too?" I asked him, almost in a challenging way, thinking that he was going to tease me about this now. However, I was getting another look from him, more of adoration than anything. He shook his head, fishing in to grab another Lucky Strike from his jacket pocket and then lighting it with his lighter before answering my question.

"I'm thinkin' that if I try to do that, you would break my kneecaps." He replied back to me as he exhaled his smoke through his nose and then inhaled once more before lowering the cigarette from his lips, "You seem to be fine on your own when it comes to love and all that shit."

"Love?" I asked him, not be able to get that through my head since he used a word that I doubted with be in his vocabulary.

"You love the guy right?" He asked me, shrugging his shoulders as the smoke exhaled through his lips. I was frozen then against the jeep now, trying to think about what I was feeling towards George. I liked him, more than like him, but was I supposed to use the word: Love. Love, that word itself should never be used lightly. That's what I was taught as a little girl since that word has more meaning any other word in the world. It was a word that seemed heavy, almost like an anchor that would come down to the bottom of the ocean and never hold up. It could change everything, and yet Jones was tossing it around like it was a regular shirt that someone would wear from time to time. I didn't know whether or not it was because I was still trying to figure out what this word meant, or the fact that I was still trying to find my place in the war, but that word started to scare me, since the last time I used that word on someone else who was not my daughter, I was married.

Damnit.

* * *

The rest of the day was winding down, and they were all staying together in another barn was a bit out of the way and out of sight. There was the talk of Operation Pegasus in the works that night with the British Allies that Easy and some others were working with that day. Although we were successful within that night since more and more germans were coming our way. Jones and I were going to stay with Easy, once again, that night since we were leaving early in the morning, we were staying in our own area near the officers that day.

I was still plagued by the fact that someone was talking about George and I, and the fact that I haven't seen him all day that day made it worse. I wanted to talk to him about what was going on, who was talking about us, and if we were still making the right choice on the both of us being together throughout the war. I still wondered if what we had been worth the risk. It scared me that we could be in more trouble than what it was worth, then again I thought we were careful. I was never a vengeful person, but the thought of someone personally wanting to ruin what George and I had made my own skin crawl.

I was walking from one barn house over to the other, where I knew most of the men were going to be and hang out, figuring I would run into George there and hoping to talk to him about what was happening. I was alone out there, mostly everyone else was either at the barn or in their own sleeping areas. With my head reeling over the recent gossip about George and I, I forgot that Cobb was out there, smoking his own cigarette and then eyeing me as he was leaned against the barn door now before I could enter in there. I could hear others inside the barn, talking and chatting with each other as the warmth glow of lanterns were seeping through the creeks and cracks of the barn into the night where we were.

"You deciding to join the guys in there, Adaline?" he asked with his voice was less appealing and friendly, as per usual. He even sounded a bit on the drunk side, having me wonder how much he drank. I nodded, not really looking for some kind of a talk with him since talking with Cobb was like eating chalk.

"I have nowhere else to be." I replied to him, rearranging my combat jacket that I was wearing before I placed my hand on the door to open it. It was the next thing out of his mouth that made me freeze all over again and wish that I was anywhere else but there.

"Figured you would be in there, all cozening it up with the guys in there like you do with Luz." he said it like it was nothing, but my fingers were now threatening to dig into the door as I eyes him with a death glare. It was him, wasn't it? The way he carried himself around me, hell, around the others, gave the impression that he was always looking for the bad instead of the good. He inhaled his smoke, leaning against the door like it was any other conversation. But too and for him, since it was not.

"What did you say?" I asked him, my voice low and not threatening. Not yet.

"You heard me," He replied in a lower tone like he was purposing rubbing me the wrong way.

"No, I didn't. Say it a bit louder why don't you?" I asked him, already feeling the Irish side of me seeping out like a drug onto the floor and having me feel a sense of rage underneath me from how he was carrying it like a tune on his lips. He was the one who was talking about us, like some kind of teenager who wanted to churn the waters and see what would happen when he was not involved.

"You and Luz see real familiar with each other, can't help but wonder…" he said, once again looking off in the distance and looking the least bit threatened about it as I turned my body to face him fully, my eyes drilling him down and him seeing me up and down with his own glare and pure excuse of a smirk.

"Wonder what? That I was keeping him warm at night?" I asked him, my fingers were digging into my palms as fists now and I was so close as to hurting him now since he was making this seem like it was some kind of game.

"Well, if you want to call yourself the Company Whore, be my guest." He replied, and within two seconds, I lost it. I knew that where I came from, how I was raised, was that I was never going to let the term "Whore" come through someone's ears without some kind of punishment. I was raised to that other right, to work hard, but I was already taught never to let something like a name back me down.

So I threw a punch, right at his jaw.

The bones connected was heard, and Cobb flew back against the wall within an instant and I felt a sting of pain in my fist as I retracted and stood in front of him now, seeing him falter a bit as I was eyeing him and pointing at him with one finger, almost no longer having the sense of moral rights and wrongs, but of defending myself and how I was going to be viewed.

"Where I come from, that word is a disgrace and not seem in lightness, so I suggest you keep your trap shut about me and never ever call me that again, or your knee caps will go next time." I warned him, no longer feeling like the innocent girl I once was. Hell, my own innocence was robbed for some time, and I didn't care if I was a mother, or that I was a pilot and one of the rare females. No, I wanted to be more than that, I wanted to be my own savior. Cobb rubbed his jaw and eyes me in rage as I took a step back from him now.

"And keep George's name out of your mouth." I warned him, started to turn my heel and walk away from him now as I was no longer in the mood for talking to the others, even George for that matter. I didn't want to face anyone anymore, yet I could still hear footsteps behind me now, following me in a steady and determined pace.

"You think you can get away with that shit?! Hitting me?!" Cobb said in almost a yell, still trailing behind me now.

"I'm not in the army, Cobb. Which means, I can do more shit than you can to me." I warned him over my shoulder, having me hear the barn door opening, yet we both were still walking. I wanted to get out of there before I did another stupid thing, let along getting in more trouble than what I was usually used to.

"Just cause you think you're hot shit around here with the guys doesn't mean you can do anything else! You know, I bet your own kid won't look at you the same way again when she finds out what you've done!" Cobb yelled at me in almost a bellow. I whirled around, the mere subject of my daughter in the conversation was the second thing to be overstepped by this guy and this time, I was going to murder him for mentioning Beth.

"You have no fuckin right to mention my daughter!" I countered back at him, seeing a couple of men already outside the barn, watching out yelling session now with wide eyes and with looks of both pain and anger there. I could see who it was, out of the corner of my eye now. It was Joe Liebgott, Guarnere, Malarky, Doc Roe, and of course, George. I was not focused on them now, mostly on Cobb who's name brought out my daughter and how I really wanted to hurt him for talking about someone whom he had to real right to.

"You think she'd be proud, of the slut you became on this company because you can't keep your own legs closed?" He asked me, having me really wish that I had no real place in the army or air force so I could kill him now. But I was still too taken over the fact that he called me both a slut and what within minutes, and I could hear the others gasp from what he said. Some of them looked beyond pissed, the most was from George. He instantly shoved his way through the man and walked over to Cobb, a determination in his step now as he looked like he was going to kill Cobb with his bare hands.

"Luz, don't!" Malarky tried to get him back, but Luz was already running over to Cobb and before Cobb could turn around, Luz grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around to face Luz. Luz punched him hard in the mouth, blood spurting there and Cobb toppled to the floor now.

"You piece of shit! I'm gonna kill you for talking like that to her!" Luz screamed at him now. Luz's face was in a rage, beyond rage even now as the others bolted over to get Luz off of Cobb, who was still trying to punch Cobb's face in. Guarnere finally grabbed his arms and pulled him up now, a hasty movement of limbs and arms flailing about as Doc jogged over to me, making sure I was okay.

"You alright?" He asked me, having me still be stunned from what I was seeing with Luz, who was still kicking and trying to get to Cobb with no avail since he was blocked by a wall of Malarky and Guarnere.

"Your hand," Doc said, seeing the slight bruising of the hand I punched Cobb with, "Lemme see it."

"You son of a bitch!" Luz yelled at Cobb now, who was still trying to get up with a bloody lip, "Don't you dare say that to her, ever again! You hear me, you fucking bastard?! EVER!" I was floored in how Luz was doing this, all of the rage he ever had in his life was being thrown out to Cobb now and how the others were just trying to hold him back. I never wanted this with him, with either one of us really. I just wanted to have some kind of peace with him, not having him fight over my dignity on another man.

"Can it, Luz! Jesus, you're gonna get the whole goddamn battalion out here from your wallin'!" Guarnere warned him now as he carried Luz over in my direction. The others were joining me now, looks of concern and hate on their faces but not at me, but at Cobb.

"What did he say to you?" Joe asked me, his voice already sounding agitated.

"Don't," Luz said to me, almost too cut off from what I was used to with him now as he was still being held by Guarnere by his arms, staring at Cobb like he was going to murder him. But I took in a shaky breath now as Cobb slowly got up from the ground now, grasping his jaw and coughing again.

"He called me a whore." I replied, all of the men looking at Cobb now with hate. Cobb eyed me now, having me no longer want to have anything to do with him. Joe cursed in German, Doc saying nothing but showing it in his eyes, and the others said nothing as I saw Luz still shaking from his fighting on Cobb.

"Son of a bitch." Guarnere said to him, Cobb looking a bit floored now that most of his friends turned on him with me.

"You siding with her now?" He asked, clearly not getting what just happened to him now, "I'm callin' it what it is."

"Which is why you don't have fuckin' friends," Joe said to him now in a bitter manner, "You a Bastard, I hope you know that and sleep well on that jaw."

"Fuck you." Cobb bellowed back at him, Having me see Luz still trying to get out of Guarnere's hold and run back over to finish what he started.

"Go to hell and stay away from her, I don't want you anywhere near her again or I'll break that trap of yours!" Luz yelled at him, having me shoot my hand on his cheek to have him look away from Cobb and back at me now. I hated Luz like this, and I had to find a way to bring him back to reality, to where he was in his life and not filled with hate and pain. He eyed me, those warm eyes were dark and brooding and I felt him shaking against my fingertips.

"George, look at me, George. Listen to my voice," I said to him softly now, no longer full of hate myself now as he was staring deep in my own eyes, "I'm not swayed by him anymore. Don't be like him, George. It's okay now, it's okay now." I reminded him at least three times, seeing his breathing slowly calming down and his eyes going back to be warm again. I reached down with my spare hand and laced our fingers together, yet he was still being held by his arms by Guarnere. Guarnere and the others were still glaring at Cobb, yet George and I were in our own little world.

"Come on, we can get out here." Malarky said to us now as I still kept my grip on Luz's hand, seeing his eyes still on me now as I smiled at him a reassuring one, hoping he understood that he didn't what to do this for me. Guarnere slowly released Luz, and yet Luz didn't run back to kill Cobb like we thought he would. Instead, he stayed still and then slowly walked with me over to the other side of the area, the others following us now and having me still feel Luz never letting me go. I wanted to know if the others knew about us if they too had suspicions about the both of us. But then again, after what happened with them all defending me against Cobb. I doubted they cared.

I cared more about the boy I was holding hands with, my own knight and shining armor.


	17. Chapter 17

Into the wee hours of the morning, I was sitting there with Luz until he was ultimately going to calm down from his outpouring of rage on Cobb, who was still silent about the whole thing even after some of the others asked him about the bloody lip and busted jaw. He said nothing, not wanting to give into the notion of his pride being tampered with by a female. None of the others knew he wasn't going to say anything, or else they were going to give him some kind of warning the next time he opened his mouth.

I was more worried about the man who was sitting across from me, his knuckles now pink and almost breaking the skin from his fight, his face was still long gone from me now as he was looking away from me, almost in shame and in pain. He no longer had the youthful glow he used to have whenever we would be around each other. I wonder what was going on in his brain, what he was thinking and how I could ever fix this. I knew I should have stopped him in time, to not have him fight and almost kill Cobb with his fists. I was just glad I got to have alone time with him when I asked the others for some space so I could talk to him and get him back to his usual self.

"George," I said to him, my voice trying to say as soothing and as calm as humanly possible. He still didn't look at me as I was sitting on one of the cots set up in the bandaged building that Easy Company took over. George was against the wall, near the window, and just staring out at the rest of the world as if it was so dark and full of sadness. I knew that was not like him at all, and one of his hands was still making a fist at his side now, "George, I know you're still angry with him."

"Aren't you?" He asked me, having me finally hear his voice after a long period of silence on his end. He was yet still not looking right at me now, but I could see some of the hate still on his face now as he asked me that question.

"I am," I replied to him, shrugging my shoulders now with that thought in my head, "And I admit, I should have reacted differently than I did."

"I think you reacted quite perfectly with what he said," He replied back to me, still sounding a bit bitter since we were still talking about Cobb and nothing else that would make this better.

"It was still wrong of me, for me to speak like that," I said to him, only to try and make myself feel better since I felt more like an idiot with my own actions against Cobb. It was the heat of the moment, something that made me snap into something else that I never thought I could possess and yet George finally looked at me now. He was reading me, his eyes still trying to get back to being warm again and how was standing so rigid there against the window and how he seemed so far away from me.

"He talked about your daughter, Adaline." He countered back with me, having me hear that he too was mad about the fact that Beth was mentioned out of Cobb when she had no real reason to be talked about in that way. I knew where he was coming from, and I was mad at him for using my daughter too.

"I know he did," I replied back to him now, slowly getting up from the cot and rubbing my face with my hand now, since I was rethinking of that whole conversation and how my daughter was suddenly thrown into the conversation and I once again lost it and screamed at Cobb, "He had no right to, but I didn't want you to get in trouble for me."

"He deserved it, and more than I gave him." George replied back in his bitter manner, having me roll my eyes at him now.

"George, just stop it," I told him, feeling like I was scolding him now since he was watering his hate now like it was his own combat jacket, "I don't want you to get in trouble for this, no matter how mad you get. You are far better than that, I know you are." George said nothing to me then I was giving him more of a stern look now than ever. He had to know that what he did was scary for me to see. It killed me, seeing him in some kind of rage that would only be described as close to criminal really because I have never seen him eat in such a negative way before.

"You don't have to defend me," I said to him, almost trying to make it feel better and less of an awkward situation. But he was looking right at me when I said that to him, almost like I was smacking him across the face now from that one sentence that I gave him.

"After what he called you?" he asked me, a bit of shock there in his voice and there was no sense of hate towards Cobb in his eyes, not to me anyways. I knew those two terms that were thrown at me, whether Cobb was sober or drunk, was not right for him to say at any term or for any reason, "You're gonna forgive him after what he said to you?"

"I was never going to forgive him, George," I countered back at him, seeing him eye me now and read me from his spot there as I was slowly inching closer and closer to him, "I may forget the fact that he called me those names, because those are merely names. But for him to talk about Beth, that's something I am never going to forgive him for."

"Yet you're asking me to get over that fact that he insulted you?" He asked me back, still bitter once again about the subject of Cobb and the fight he inflicted.

"Pretty much," I replied back within an instant,"You tend to forget I've heard worse from full grown men who have bigger balls than Cobb there, much bigger ones." With that notion there, I saw a small smirk there on his face, the one thing that was missing for the past few hours now. I was glad to see that face again, even though I could still see most of the sadness there hidden behind those lips and that grin.

"George," I said to him so softly now, reaching out to take his cool and calloused hands within my own and feeling how small my own hands were within his own hands. I tend to forget how good it felt to be this close to him, even if it was for only mere moments and nothing more to it, "I know how to take care of myself, though it takes more within the heat of the moment really. Please, don't get yourself in trouble because of me. I can handle him and whatever he can throw at me, and I can defend myself."

"I'm not saying you can't." George said to me now, his voice was no longer bitter like it was before when we were only feet away from each other, now we were only inches away from each other and I was content with that.

"I know you're not, and I know you want to defend me," I said to him, seeing him rub his thumbs over my skin on my hands now and he was slowly melting away his pain and anger now with how he was holding his hands within my own now, "But don't worry too much about me when it comes to my honor."

"I can't help it, I like you too damn much." He admitted to me, having me smile at him now as see that he was inching closer to me now on his own accord and having me get those butterflies in my stomach again. For some reason, I thought of the word Love again, and how neither one of us used that on one another, and it made me wonder if we both were willing to use it. It was making me worry even more that we were ever going to use that word, either carelessly or with as serious tone behind it. I tried to push that thought out of my head since it didn't seem like the right time to think about it.

"I'll be able to defend my own and my daughter without my own knight and shining armor," I reassured him, seeing another smirk on his face when I gave him his new title that I was thinking about it, "Cobb is nothing for you to fight at."

"If he pulls something like that again next time, I can't make any promises." He tried to explain to me then, having me shake my head from the mere thought of Luz hitting Cobb again and getting in more trouble, let alone being sent home with shame and maybe a fighting record against him.

"You have to, George," I said to him, "You need to not fight anyone anymore over me, it's not worth it. I get that people are going to talk about me, how they all view me as nothing of a soldier and more of a person warm to sleep with—"

"Adaline," He cut me off, his voice was a bit bold when he was stopping me from insulting myself with what the others were saying about me, "Don't you _dare_ say that about yourself. Ever." His hands are squeezing my own now, trying to somehow get those ideas out of my head for good. Even his eyes were trying to tell me that they were lies, all of those whispers amongst the officers, if there were any, are lies and not even close to what I was worth.

"Please don't, okay?" He asked me, making sure I was in the right place with all that happened within hours. I had no real reason to disagree with him since I would feel like another fight would happen between us really all for the sake of my dignity.

"I won't." I answered him, already glad that we were pushing this problem out of the way and no longer needing to worry about it for the both of us. Even the thoughts of the officer who may or may have talked about the both of us were out of the window now. He then sighed in relief now as he leaned into me, placing his forehead against my own and both of our hands between us. There was peace again, within my heart and my own mind about all hat was happening within hours of me being with Easy again.

"I guess this is a bad time to tell you that I'm leaving for Paris at 0600 this morning," I said to him with my soft manner to him, having me see playful glare at him now from what I told him, "Sink told me that I'm leaving in the morning and I don't know how long I'll be there for."

"Good thing you told me this now rather than later, right?" He asked me with the hint of a joking manner, having me chuckle and nod my head against his. Leave it to him tomato things lighter than usual.

"I figured you would need to know if I do stop popping over to see you." I said to him.

"What a shame, and I've been missing you sorely." He admitted to me with tenderness there between us, "Looks like I'm going to have to find a way to Paris to find you and spend time with you." I rolled my eyes at him then, knowing that he was both saying this to make me blush at him now and then again make the conversation lighter, "And can I just say, I found you to be amazing from how you were telling Cobb off earlier."

"You find me cursing like a sailor amazing?" I asked him, unconvinced really on how he would think of that amazing.

"Well, that was good enough for me, then again hearing you punched him out in one right hook was even better. I wish I was there to see that." George explained to me then, now having me look at him in shock since I didn't know he was there when I punch Cobb for what he said to me, way earlier than when the others saw him insult me.

"When did you hear about that?" I asked him in wonder now.

"Doc told me after you went out to talk to Malarky and Guarnere for me. He explained that you bruised your hand from the punch." George said in reply, looking down at our joined hands for a moment and having me do the same. There was a small hint of agitation on the skin with a hint of pink still lingering.

"I didn't know you could punch someone like that," he commented back to me now, having me grin at him and have a hint of blush there on my cheeks. I was glad we both were back to our old selves again, no longer having this awkward sense of who was going to defend who and what was going to happen next.

"Maybe next time I'll show you." I said back to George, having me watch him eye me close to me now as he then leaned into me and kissed me softly, having me slowly move one hand over to reach around his neck and place my fingers in his hair. For some reason, when I was with Luz and how he was just looking at me in general, I had no real care about what others were saying about Luz and I. I was mostly concerned about how the man in front of me was making me feel safe enough to take on the world and nothing else.

"I'll sneak away so I can see you, I promise you I will," George reassured me as I was raking my fingers in his hair and he was eyeing me with his warm eyes again. I just grinned and nodded my head again, showing that I heard him there, "And I'll make sure I set anyone else straight that is talking bad about you."

"You don't have to," I reminded him, seeing him watch me once again with carefulness and precision now, one of our hands still joined together and my other was still in his hair, while his spare hand was touching my combat jacket sleeve without realizing it, "We both know what is going on between us, no one else really needs to know or should really care." I wasn't going to let a small thing of a scandal between myself and George stop us from having a good moment or time together. I was not thinking of coming into this war with the throughout of falling for another man, and yet here I was, trying to navigate my own way through all that was happening around me. Maybe this was good for me: to get away from the men for awhile and distance myself. It felt more like a better goodbye that I wanted, but it was had to be done. I was still technically part of the Air Force, not with Easy Company at all. I had to remind myself that constantly.

I was not one of them.

* * *

**Paris, France**

**December 11th, 1944**

Paris was more like a dream than anything, almost surreal for me to witness because of how the city was coming back together after the Liberation of Paris, more and more people were coming back and living life again. I have never heard of all hat was happening in there since August, yet the citizens there were fighting the Germans to keep the city alive, and it has worked. Now, Paris had an Allied Victory in the books and it felt like any other city.

Plenty of American soldiers and pilots were in the city, Jones and I meeting with some of the French Pilots and British ones there too since they were also. We were all stationed in Paris-Le Bourget Airport, and most of the things they needed from us were helping rapper old planes that were flying in D-Day. Most of the time, we had free.

I forgot what free time was like.

Jones made some friends that were just a unique and rowdy as him, so I had more isolation time, which was great for me to get my own things in order and thoughts in check. I would walk around the city in my uniform, having no civilian clothes that would have me hide from the rest of the world. I was glad to be in my uniform, having others see me as a pilot and instantly move away from me. I spoke no French, and those who spoke English barely spoke it really. I was glad that we had a few pilots at the base who spoke fluent French that would help translate for the rest of us who were loose on the French-speaking terms.

One afternoon was eventful for me to say the least, since I was walking out of one of the apartments that they were housing pilots and other soldiers, going on another walk that I felt was necessary before I was going to make some kind of attempt of a letter home to Beth. I have yet to talk to Aaron or even write to him, about what happened to Cobb and how my daughter was mentioned from him. It was nice to be away from the men of Easy, yet I knew it was a bit more of a string than anything really on their end since they had no real explanation from me as to why I was no longer coming back to see them. I knew I had to make things right and to show my face to them constantly, that would make the gossip or talk worse. Aaron would have had a field day within the phone call or letter I talked to him about what happened, so I didn't want to deal with that either.

"O'Malley! Hold a moment!" I heard a thick French accent, having me stop in my tracks with my hands in my pilot brown jacket and my hair flowing in the wind there since it was a rather windy autumn afternoon. It was one of the French pilots who befriended Jones and I, he went by the name Jacque. He was rather nice to the both of us, kind with a heart shaped face and wide grin to boot. Charming to say the least.

"You have a visitor." He said to me as he jogged over from his spot on the other side of the street where the command center was held. I raised an eyebrow at him as I heard another plane go up into the sky behind me where the airstrip was.

"I do?" I asked him, clearly not seeing that there would be a real visit for me to see. If it was an officer, I would have been called in without any hesitation, but this was a visitor.

"_Ou_i, come with me." he said to me, having me reluctantly following him across the street to the building and see him open the door for me. I walked in, already hearing the bustle of phones ringing, papers being moved back and forth, and the French Language being heard all around me like it was a regular kind of day there. I was used to it, but what I was not sued to, was the familiar yet unrealistic face of Dick Winters, whom was in his own dress uniform and sitting at one of the waiting room chairs.

"Sir, I found here for you." I was shocked to see him there when Jacque addressed him, then walking away as Winters got up from his chair and faced me now with a small smile on his lips. I haven't seen any of the Easy men since that night after they were performing Operation Pegasus, so it's been weeks and he already looked somewhat normal again.

"Hello, Adaline." he said to me now, his voice was once again a natural soothing tone and yet he was still considered a leader now. I just smiled at him back, folding my hands in front of me. It was good to be a familiar face again, and yet I was wondering why he was there in the first place.

"Hello, Sir."

* * *

"You're in Paris now?" Winters asked me as we were both sitting outside one of the many cafe bistros in the downtown area, overlooking some of the scenic parks and buildings that gave the city's it's flavor and notion for being the city of love. After we greeted each other, Winters wanted to talk to me about a few things before he knew I would be taken off and going to do other work, so he took me out for coffee late in the afternoon. He told me that he was the Battalion Executive Officer, a promotion that he didn't see coming after the won at the crossroad attack. He was more in the office and typing up reports than anything. I was glad to have some kind of company there, and even with the both of us sitting across from one another with a small table in the middle of the both of us, it felt right and familiar.

"I am, i was stationed here since October, sir." I explained to him now as he took a sip from his cup of coffee, "I left the morning after the crossroads attack."

"Ah, I was wondering where you were stationed at next since they told me you left the airfield in Normandy." He explained me, having me pause there with my fingers on top of the table, feeling like he was about to either scold me for not telling him where I was going, or ask me more and more about what I was doing with my life.

"I wanted to leave Easy Company…quietly, sir." I said with a bit go hesitance though I could see how Dick's face looked a bit more confused as to why I was telling him this. Great, I didn't want to explain to him why I didn't want to have any kind of personal contact with easy anymore.

"Quietly?" He asked me, having me only nod my head once at him before taking a bit of drink from my own cup, "Well, that's a bit disappointing, since most of the men were wondering where you went off to."

"I didn't want t have my own time with the men be tainted any more than it was…sir." It felt more bitter when I said it out loud to him, almost like I was saying it to him just to make him feel terrible. He was still looking at me in confusion, and I was shifting a bit in my chair hoping we would talk about something, anything else but this.

"What are you saying, Adaline?" He asked me, clearly confused as to what was going on and what was being said about me. Hell, it was nearly two months ago and I was still thinking of it fresh, having me eyes him carefully with a small amount of fear of what was next to come, "Did something happen while you were with Easy?"

How was I going to tell him this, or even ask him about what was going on with the officers that were talking about George and I, or if they are talking about the both of us? I was afraid that I was going to be taken to the slaughter, and with Dick Winters of all people in the world. Why should I be afraid of him?

"Sir, I was told that there were whispers amongst the officers about me and….another soldier in Easy company," I explained very carefully, since it felt like I was walking on a frozen lake and ready to feel the ice break over my feet and for me to sink because of the sheer embarrassment and hate of it all, "Those whispers were not going to have me look professional in the slightest, so I decided to remove myself from the situation before having the image of Easy Company be tainted because of me."

"What whispers are you—" Winters started, but then I saw it click in his head, no longer saying a word about it and then his face was slowly going from confused to a bit take back, almost like he knew what happened and he was hit with the train of reality. He slowly sighed, almost in defeat now as I just sat there, saying nothing and already feeling bad about what I did. Something about how I told it to him was like I was scolding him, and yet I had no clue if he was part of those whispers or those talks amongst the other officers. Shame on me for thinking that way.

"Oh dear, Adaline I am _so_ sorry." He said to me now he was staring at me with those blue eyes that both leadership and pain there, "I knew some of the other officers were talking to each other about you, and I had no real reason to stop it. I should have."

"It's of no worry for you to think about now, sir." I said to him, suddenly feeling terrible on how this conversation was going since I doubted Winters wanted me to talk to him about being in shame, he was looking for a pleasant conversation, not to a guilt trip.

"It is for me to worry about," Winters explained to me now more body then since he could tell I was trying to fix what I already bought there, "I should have stopped the officers from talking about it."

"Although it is understandable on why it was brought into conversation," I admitted to him now, "It would have been against the law and against what we were there for in the army, sir. I did not want to bring any kind of tainted reputation towards the men in Easy Company."

"Adaline," He said to me, cutting me off like how George did two months earlier when it whole thing happened around me then, "You need to understand that what the others were talking about back there was just talk. No one would have ever really guessed that something would….or was…happening since we never thought of you any way that was not unprofessional."

"You did?" I asked, almost sheepishly then as he smiled at me, the kind smile that a father would show unto his child as a way to show he had no harm coming to the child's way.

"Of course. It was still wrong for us to think you in such a manner that would give you a bad light to yourself. I'm gonna have to talk to Nix and Welsch about it as soon I see them," He explained, having me shake my head at the thought of him shaming the other officer because of how they were talking about me.

"You don't have to." I reassured him, but he shook his head.

"No, I need to. That was uncalled for. Uncalled for them….for us…to talk about you in such a light." He explained with a bit more boldness there on his face and in his tone, "And that was the main reason why you left us, to come here under the assumption that you were causing damage?"

"It was, sir," I replied back to him, "I admit being close to some of the men in Easy, but nothing more was evolved from it that I knew would not be allowed in the army or in the Air Force, sir." He was silent again, looking down at his cup once more with someone else that was haunting his mind. I could tell he wanted to talk about something else, something that I think was the real reason why he was going to find me here in Paris in the first place.

"I was told about an incident back when you were with Easy, an incident with Private Cobb," He explained to me, having me frozen in my spot once again in my chair and hope for the worst to come, "It came to my attention that he use some sort of verbal abuse against you."

"He did, sir." I replied since there was no real reason to tip toe around it or lie about it.

"It was reported to me by George Luz, that Private Cobb used profane words against you that was not appropriate in the slightest, also talking about your daughter in a way that was dishonorable." He explained to me, my hand making a fist on the table now since I hated the fact we were now, once again, talking about my daughter and not in the best light there was.

"Sir—" I said to him, starting to try and make this conversation stop before I would get angry again since I was still on the unforgiving track with Cobb because of what he did.

"Although I don't condone your actions in retaliation with him, which included physical violence," Winters explained to me, having me wait for the fatal blow of being sent back to the States since he had some kind of power in this kind of way, "I was sent here to find you and give you…..a warning."

"Sir?" I asked him, the shock was on my face for how he was handgun this to me. I knew should have been court-martialed, let alone sent home with shame on my shoulder because I threw out one pity punch on another soldier without thinking twice about it.

"You are given a warning, nothing more or less," He explained once again, shirt and simple, having me look at him in confusion now, "Cobb was given the same, as was Luz since he was more violent than you were in the situation. You are going to be given a probation away from Easy Company for a month or two, but since you're already doing that according to the Air Force, you've fulfilled your probation."

"I should be court-martialed, sir." I explained to him shortly.

"If that's what you think, but the fact that Cobb was intoxicated while he was on duty was a bit worse than one punch to the jaw on a private. If it was an NCO, let alone an officer or lieutenant, then it would have been worse for you." He explained to me calmly now, more like a leader than anything, "I think you have enough punishment from being away from Easy Company for two months. Just make sure that it doesn't happen again, understand me?"

"Yes, of course, sir." I replied back to him now, having a sense of relief come over me that I was not going to be in trouble for what happened so many months ago. But it still left the hanging question in the air, was I going to go back? Was it worth going back to the men, thought I missed them and their company? I was quite safe and satisfied there in Paris at the moment, almost making it feel like I was in some kind of bubble there with nothing to harm me.

Nothing yet?


	18. Chapter 18

_Dear Adaline, _

_Winter time is coming back here at home, the leaves are falling and the bitter cold is coming through the campus now. But we are getting by here at home, everyone here misses you sorely and hope for the best. _

_Mom and dad are getting more relentless about you, wondering when you are coming home and if you're doing alright. After our talk on the phone, I knew you were going to be okay, but don't be surprised if I'm on the fence with you when it comes to your safety out there. _

_Beth is getting bigger and bigger every day, most of the time I wonder where she got her height from, not from Adam of course. You were always the tall one, the tall and gentle one. She's looking more and more like you as the days go by, and she's missing you more and more. Sometimes she thinks you're not going to come back anytime soon, and I have to reassure her that you are coming back._

_You better be coming back._

_I wanna hear more about this George fella, and I know that you two aren't supposed to be together in the army. But come on, an older brother can dream that his sister can be genuinely happy for once in a long time. He seems like an alright guy, I wanna meet him soon enough when you come home from the war. Maybe mom and dad would want to meet him too, I think he would make them happy since he makes you happy._

_Write back and let me know how Paris is, maybe get some sun when you have the chance. Love you._

_Aaron_

* * *

**Paris-Le Bourget Airport**

**December, 1944**

Things were still going slow for me there in Paris, after my meeting with Winters and us having out heart to heart over coffee. I still wanted to be able to have a good enough space away from Easy unless I was told to go there otherwise. So far, since I left then some months ago, I had no real need to be called back since they were handling it on their own. They would keep us informed about the war, how we were doing against the Germans and who was winning what battles. It seemed more like it was more in the middle nowadays, Germans winning some and the Allies winning some too. It was still up in the air on who was going to come on up, and we were wondering when it was going to be over and down with forever. We only thought we were going to be home before Christmas, but that was already blown out of the way because of some of the battles we lost to the Germans. Now all I could do, along with the other pilots in France, is to wait.

Wait for us? Who knows.

I would pass the time here at the airfare base, reading from time to time, long walks and talks with the other pilots, yet my own mind was drifting back to the men in Easy and how they were doing. Mostly I was thinking of George again and how we haven't physically seen each other in months now. I didn't get a letter from him, which was surprising since I thought hr found want to try to find some way to get in contact with me, but that too was answered with another letter that I received from someone else in Easy.

_December 20, 1944_

_Dear Adaline,_

_I hope Paris is treating you well. Winters told us where you were and that you were doing okay. I wish I could be there, maybe I should have taught you from French before you left us in October. I've always wanted to go there, maybe I will one of these days._

_The boys miss you, we all talk about you and see what you're up to. Cobb has been shunned by a bunch of the guys from what he did and said to you, the think he deserves more than shunning from what he did. I'm just hoping that you're okay after what happened, you left earlier than we thought so I never asked how you were doing. I hope you're okay about it, I miss reading books with you and talking to you every once in awhile._

_George misses you the most. He wanted to write to you, but he figured that you needed _space_ after what happened and what you saw from him. I talked to him about it, he hated how he acted and he's punishing himself for it. We've all tried to talk to him about it, every tried to get him to write to you make himself feel better. Maybe you should write to him and let him know he did the right them, and that you're not mad at him. I know you're not, you care about the guy too much._

_Come back soon, we need our driver and friend back. I know I do._

_Eugene Roe_

* * *

**December 27th, 1944**

Getting that letter alone one week ago made me really want to go back, already thinking of myself as a bad person for trying to push them out of my life. I thought I was helping them, no longer wanting that tainted reputation that Cobb invented to be the topic of conversation whenever I would walk into the room. I thought I was doing the good thing, the best thing for the situation. But then again, I knew Joe and Eugene were missing me there, and I would think Lipton or even Shifty too. I would doubt going back there now would fix anything really since I had no idea where they were now since they were constantly moving around in Europe within France. I only hoped and prayed that they were okay.

It was then I heard the sirens in the airfield going off outside my apartment, having me shoot up and run over to the window where I could only see some of the airstrip and the planes there that were waiting to be used. Some of the men there were running out onto the pavement with their helmets on and jackets getting to the center where a jeep was parked. This was trouble, big trouble. The only time they would have this kind of trouble is when the war was about to get extra tricky. That or some of our men were in personal trouble. I didn't know what it was, but I had no real time to think about.

Now, I had to run.

"Listen up, pilots! Some of our men are in a heavy fire in this war, and supplies are running dangerously low. I'm in need of some pilot to take supplies to the designated areas were the Americans and British are. we are their only line of defense of food, weapons and other supply rations," I was standing with the rest of the available pilots out in the middle of the airfield where we were being briefed by the head commander of the Airfield. The air was colin, whipping through the area now as some of the snow was slowly starting to fall, though I was satisfied in my pilot jacket there huddle with the others as we were listening to the news.

"If I call your name, get your plane ready and we are going to load you with the proper ration supplies that we have available to give to the Americans, We will load your plane and you will be out of here in no time, go to the given coordinates and then fly back," He said to all of us, making us all wait as he was reading off the names one by one. I washing that my own name was not going to be called, then again, wondering if Easy Company was the Company in trouble.

"O'Malley, Adaline. You're going to Belgium to give rations to Easy Company via flight drop," I nodded my head, already wondering why Easy was in deep trouble as they were. I had no idea where they were and if they were going to be okay since Eugene's Letter was about one week ago. I was still obligated to work with them since I was no released from their need and care. I only wondered where they were in Belgium and if they were all together again, that no one was lost in battle or lost their mind. Mostly, I worried if I was going to see George worse than I did before.

I had to keep my hopes up.

* * *

"Here are your coordinates for you flight. You are taking two others with you to help with the cargo run." the commander told me as I was standing near my lighter plane that I was going out on. Other soldiers were loading in the rations for me to drop off in the air for Easy now as I took the paper and read the numbers, along with the map with a shocked look on my face.

"Bastogne, Belgium?" I asked him, looking over in his direction now, "How long have they've been there, sir?"

"For several days now, they are holding a line against the Germans and using a counter attack. So far, no such luck. However, with these supplies you are giving them, they might have some chance to winning within the forest. Be careful, they are within the depths of the forest line and are not easily seen by other on the ground." He explained to me as I shoved the paper in my jacket pocket and placed a hand on the ladder that was leading me to the cockpit,"I was told to have you go since you are still obligated and working with this particular company, and you know the men well enough."

"I'm happy to help them, sir." I said to him, seeing him smile and nod his head as another soldier was getting the engines started on the planes around us.

"You better be. Remember, it's a simple drop off and you come back here, no questions ask." He reminded me, having me nod and salute him. He saluted me back, then walking away from me as I dug out my bandana, once again getting my hair under the bandana and get placing my helmet over my head. It's been months since I have flown a plane at all, let alone when any kind of mission for the Air Force. It felt a bit shaky when I was hoping in my small cockpit, enough room for me as I heard two others were getting in the cargo area of the plane with the plentiful boxes of rations and supplies. I had to make sure that this was going to be a clean run, to and from the area. It sounded so simple. but why was I nervous about it.

Before I got the engine starting and purring, I grabbed the one letter that I wrote for George, the letter I wrote that morning since I felt like I had an obligation to him since we haven't spoken in months. I wanted to be able to give it to him, but I had no idea when that was going to be, the next time we were going to stand in front of each other. I don't think I was ever going to be ready to face him again, but it was still a soothing thing to feel to have the letter in my jacket pocket. It was a peaceful feeling, which was a rare commodity within those days now.

Time to fly.

* * *

We were in the air, the bitter cold was hanging around us in the sky now as I was flying the coordinates that were there within my cockpit on my compass. I was following it, so far not having any kind of difficulty when it came to flying in the bitter cold winds and almost slight turbulence when we left France and were making our way over to Belgium. This was another part of the job, go and fly to get those boys some Aide, but it was when we made it close to Belgium that I felt my own stomach drop.

It looked like a snow fortress of hell.

I was never a huge fan of the cold, and I thought I was in the worst of it when it came to the cold in Pennsylvania. But this was worse, but worse, since most of the color I could see was white, with gray bind a close second. Blistering winds were whipping through the small towns that were so far below us, we were so far away to lower down in our altitude and we didn't want to be seen just yet. There was still fear that the Germans were watching and waiting for us, and since we were no longer in France, we were in dangerous territory now.

It was now or never for us, and as we were getting closer and closer, my hopes in a smooth drop off were getting dimmer and dimmer. I could see already the aftermaths of the war all over the place: smoke rising in the air from broken houses, people running to and fro to avoid being killed from the Germans, and the sense of death was hanging in the air now. I only wondered if Easy was okay, and why they were hiding out in the forest in the first place. It felt like it was no place for them, not in the slightest since it seemed like a death trap for them to try and get out of.

"You seeing this, O'Malley?" I heard over the roaring engine of the plane, having me cock my head over my shoulder to see one of the soldiers who was there with me to unload the boxes. He was a bit younger than me, a French soldier who was a bit of a wide-eyed side when it came to things. I looked out of my window there to see what he was looking at. I saw another small town we were flying over, the smoke rising and most of the buildings were blown to pieces. It made me sick to my stomach now, seeing that there and how we were just flying by without doing a single thing about it. I could see some more tanks there on the ground, moving out of the city with ease and it made me shiver. They were Germans.

Germans were killing the cities and the people in them.

"Give me the geeives." The soldier said to me again over the loud noise as I looked ahead, shifting a bit in my seat and rearranging my fingers around the steering wheel of the plane. I had to keep my head on straight since I had my own mission to uphold and take care of. They were not my problem, not the city own there, yet I felt a small tug in my heart to help them.

"We're almost close to the drop-off!" I yelled to the soldier behind me, feeling him tap my shoulder.

"We're prepped and ready when you are! Give us the green light when we hit the coordinate!" He explained to me now as I nodded my head, hearing him crawl away back to his spot in the cargo area. I had to focus, no longer needing to let the fear consume me. I had a mission that I had to uphold, and it was to help the Easy boys in any way that I could. I doubt they would know I was coming, being in a French plane and not having any indication that I was flying the damn thing, but it would still be nice for them to know that I was having some of aide to given to them. I still had to hope, still wanting to hope.

Hope was a strong enough word for some.

I turned on the green light, seeing that we were about to hit the drop off area and I peered down where the Easy Company boy were apparently. All I could see was the forest, tall pine trees were covering the ground below them as more snow was falling out feeling over the top of the trees to bond them from my spot. I only hoped that they were down there as I heard the two other soldiers behind me in the cargo area, shuffling the boxes and getting them close to the by the doors before they were going to open them. The wind was making the plan shakier than before, and I only hoped that I was going to get the planet steady enough for them as I was turned a slight left over to the open area where I knew there would be a small enough window for me to get in and out. I took in a deep breath, knowing that this was only going to be the only shot for us tog et Easy their things.

I hit the button again, hearing the siren going off in the plane now as the door was opening and I heard the soldiers pushing the boxes out, the box flying to the floor now and the parachutes for the boxes working perfectly. We were making it work, but then something was off, way off. Another siren was heard again, a warning siren in my cockpit as I shot my head straight ahead from looking after the boxes that were floating to the forest below. I checked my radar in front of me, seeing that something was coming over to me in a fast rate, something that made me cringe.

I was not alone in the sky now. Someone was about to kill us.

I grabbed the intercom switch, flicking it on before I leaned over to talk into it.

"Close the door and buckle up, we're not alone!" I said to the boys in the back, hearing them curse out loud before closing the plane door and then running over to their seats int he back. I had no idea that this could happen, us being discovered by the Germans and then now they were going to shoot us down in the air. I was seeing that it was coming closer and that it was, in fact, a German plane. A fighter plane, having me cringe since we hard and anything to fight them back with. We had a few guns to work with, nothing more or less.

"We got German Fighter Planes on us! Hang on!" I said into the intercom as they were starting to fire on us. I moved the plane over to the left, trying to dodge them as much as I could without taking too much out of the plane in itself, "Get ready for a counterattack if we have an open window!"

"You got it, O'Malley!" I heard back in the speaker from the soldier, then the both of him shuffling around again to where the guns were in the cargo area. I didn't want to bring them into a dogfight in the middle of Belgium, this was not what we were meant to do there. But then again, we were brought with no choice in the matter really since we were trying to make it out alive. I knew the plane was still behind us now, still firing at us.

"Get ready to fire!" I said into the intercom as the plane was slowly coming up to the right side of our plane, having em feel some of the bullets hit the plane and make the whole thing shake, This was it, now or never. Do or die, just what I wanted when I signed up for the war.

"NOW!" I yelled, hearing our bullets going off and our guns shooting at the German Plane, the both of us flying, side by side now like we were playing chicken to see who was going to die first. I kept my plane steady, looking over to see their plane being hit at the same rate our plane was being hit. Their pilot was yelling at the soldiers who were shooting at us, then looking over at me now and having me see the very pilot who might either let us live or let us die. I stared at him back, not showing any kind of weakness to him now as I was inching the plane over to him more and more. It took a solid minute or two of us shooting at each other, but it felt like hours. I wondered, even feared, if this was where I was going to die.

The plane shook, having me hear a warning bell go off and I saw black smoke happening for our of our wing of the plane. I looked over in horror, seeing that it as smoking up bad, almost on fire really as we were slowly losing altitude now as we took a couple more hits. We were losing this dogfight, but we were shooting back and something in the belly of the German fighter plane exploded. They intently sunk to the ground now, engulfed in flames as we too were hit, but not as bad as the German plane that not hit the floor.

"We're going down, get in your seats and hold on tight!" I said into the intercom, fearing for the worst now since we were not getting back to France any time soon.

"SHIT!" I heard from behind me, the plane rocketing down a few feet again from the damage of the German plane firing on us. I had to find some kind of way in order to make this plane crash smoother and less of a chaotic mess. Where was I going to land this thing, or attempt to this it?

The forest. Perfect.

I turned the plan over to the left again, near Easy where the coordinate originally took us. I knew this was going to be a hard crash, already praying to God and if I was going to die here, that he would save my soul. I might die now, as we were descending over to the top of the pine trees in the Belgium forest and I was slowly coming to realize, that I was not going to make it home. No seeing my parents again, no seeing my older brother and his hearing his words of wisdom. No Beth...oh God...no Beth for me to hold and see grow up. That made me feel a tear escape my eye as we were about to make am impact. This was going to it for me, and I only hoped that I was going to die at peace, and not in fear.

Oh God, please save me.

And then, everything went to black as we crashed into the forest. Black and quiet.

* * *

**George Luz's POV**

**Bastogne, Belgium**

**December 27, 1944**

"Look! Something's dropping from the sky!" We all stopped what we were doing, along the thin Goddamn line that they gave us from the moment we stepped into this frozen hell. Every day was the same: freeze our ass over, walk around to stay warm, and shoot at whatever is shooting at us back. It was all the same, and it was getting old quick.

That and the rations were leaving us quick.

The only thing that I would think of to get me through the day was less of a thing or more of a person in particular. she always plagued my mind, no matter ho hard I tried to think of something, anything, else that would make me sleep better at night. But there she was, my dear Adaline, her face swimming in my head late at night and her voice filling my ears when the winds would howl even louder than before. This was not the place to think of her, not in a disgusting lustful way, but like she was some kind of angle that was sent to protect me, or keep em grounded in the world. It was odd to think her like this, and even after she saw me almost kill Cobb with my fists, she would still want to be with me.

Why?

I was never that great when it comes to love with women, hell, taking a girl on a second or third was a huge long shot for me. I was never that handsome, compared to my other fellas who were my friends, and I would always get the gentle hint that I wasn't the smart tool in the tools shed. But it never stopped me, not really since I knew I could land myself a girl any day. Call me cocky or overconfident, I didn't care.

But when Adaline came in the picture, I was way out of my league with her.

She was radiant, more beautiful than any girl I have ever seen. She would never call herself beautiful, I knew that for sure, but I still saw her as more than a beautiful face from the moment I saw her there in Fort Benning this years ago. If I ever thought I saw a beautiful face before her, I was dead wrong when she smiled at me that shy smile. Her eyes glistened in the sunlight, already having me weak in the knees right there in front of her.

Her shyness drew me in, like a moth to the flame. She was not boisterous or full of pride. She was far too sweet for something like that. Even her voice was heavily for me, far too heavenly for women to have. And to think she went through a rough hell of her life, being a widow at a young age and trying to raise a child on her own, I only wished she had a better life. I knew she loved her daughter, more than anyone or anything, and she would do anything and everything for her. Adeline would carry her burdens with kindness and sweetness about her, not with a grimace or with annoyance. I only hoped whoever would steal her heart next would carry her burdens for her, make her feel like the luckiest woman in the world, and would show her the meaning of life.

And for the briefest of moments, I thought that was going to be me.

"You see that? Ration boxes!" Someone from Easy yelled, the bulge of us getting up and moving out a bit to see where they were landing and if they were nearby. This was perfect timing since we were all on the brink of starving and having little to no ammo at all to protect ourselves. Since we came into this frozen hell bound place, we were nothing but miserable and wondering why we were here in the first place. It made no sense, and we all hated it there. Even Winter's who was now our Battalion Commander was hating it there and we were all in the brink of mass destruction because of the Goddamn cold. This was the greatest sight we have seen yet: ration crates falling from the sky like it was rain. We were all smiling in glee as the first of the creates hit the floor and we all ran for them, making sure we were staying out of harms way and looking out for Germans along the way. But it made me wonder, though it was more of a fools wonder than anything if that was a familiar person flying the plane to save us.

Was it Adaline?

"Oh shit! The plane's on fire!" Toye said aloud, pointing with his finger as we heard the plane coming around our way again, having us all stop from running to the rations now and look at the cargo plane, fire on the wing, slowly falling from the sky and descending into the deep first being us, near the enemy. It was like we were seeing it in slow motion, making me sick in my own mouth like I wanted to vomit when I realized it was an Allie plane, one of our own.

"It's a French plane!" Someone called out too, having us all look.

"They're falling into the German line," Martin said from behind me, seeing it slam into the trend the trees there bursting into flames with black smoke rolling up into the sky. The sound was deafening, almost like a car crash but fifty times bigger. It shook the ground underneath us now, having us all lose our footing for a moment or two before we got our stance back together. Did any of them survive on that plane?

"Toye, go tell Winters what happened." Martin said to Toye, having me look over at Toye running off with his rifle on his back over to the area where we knew Winters was gonna be. I shot my lock over at Martin, seeing him still watch the area where the plane crashed and the smoke still rising in the sky in thick ropes of black smoke.

"What if people are still alive in there?" I asked him, walking over to Martin with a confused look on my own face. If there was someone alive in the plane, they might be in trouble from trying to get out of there and being seen by the Germans there on their line. If it was me, I would have ran for the nearest place that was safe for me, which was us.

"We'll see what Winters has to say about it when he comes over here. Most likely, we'll wait for his order to go over there and help them." Martin replied to me now, having me look away from him now and see more of the smoke coming up in flames. It was one thing to think we were going to be the only ones in trouble, but now I was wondering who it was, or who was in the plane for that matter.

"I'm thinking they're about 1 mile away from here, from what I could see, sir." Winters was walking over in our direction with another NCO, hands in his pockets and his eyes right at the smoke going up in the sky.

"Any idea what kind of plane it is?" He asked.

"Cargo plane, we're thinking that it's the French." Martin replied back to him.

"Where's Lieutenant Dike?" Winters asked most of us were all rolling our eyes at this point because we all knew where he was and what he was doing. Once again, going on one of his infamous walks. He probably didn't realize that a plane crashed, maybe it crashed on him. That would be fantastic to be honest.

"No one knows sir," Martin replied tentatively, having me see a look go Agitation on Winter's face.

"Alright, get a rescue team ready to head over and check the plane for survivors. Don't go unless I give the green light, and take a medic with you." Winters explained, having me look back at the smoke once more. I was still wondering, who it was that was in the plane.

Were they still alive?


	19. Chapter 19

**Adaline's POV**

Cold.

All I could feel, and all I could sense, was cold.

My eyes were opening, mostly one eye since the other was still shut from some kind of black eye damage. It was a painful thing to jut open my eye, let alone breath since it felt like my ribcage was on fire. I was dizzy, yet my skin was ice cold and I could feel snowflakes falling on top of my head and not my moist hair. Wait, why was my hair moist? That didn't seem right. I tried to twitch my fingers to get feelings back in there, an aching feeling in each finger now as they were resting against my sides, cold at the tips of the fingers and fragile feeling too. I was so confused,

What happened?

From the view where I was, my head tilted over to the side and seeing the sideways view of the forest outside, in front of me about 5 feet away since I was still strapped into some kind of seat. I had to rethink what happened since it felt all like a blur to me as I was trying to piece it all together. I was flying a plane, there was a German plane next to me trying to fire at me…Oh, God.

I crashed.

I breathed out, feeling my chest was on fire and I coughed several times to get my lungs to work again. It felt too hard to just breathe from my spot since I was still strapped in tight to my chair in the cockpit. I moved my aching neck, my head feeling heavy and my helmet feeling a million pounds now as I saw the cockpit damage in front of me now. The glass in the windshield was damaged and blown out, my dashboard no longer looked like a proper one since it was now twisted and ripped apart because of the crash. It made me look down at my hands now, seeing some blood marks on the top of my fingerless gloves. It might have been from the glass cutting my fingers and my skin there, having me slowly reach up to check my face and chest to make sure nothing else was hit too hard. My face was cut up from the crash, I felt my eye that was swollen shut and it was too tender which made me squint in pain now, having another coughing fit again as I moved to get the helmet off of me now since it was making it harder for me to just hold my head up from my spot.

As soon as the helmet was off and it fell to the floor, I tried to find the button to get the straps off of me to make it easier for me to breathe. But the button was jammed, and after touching it a few times with a bit of force, I had to find another way to get out since this could be a problem for me. So I craned my head over to look behind me, having some trouble do it since I was still strapped to the chair as I peered through the small damaged area that would show me the cargo area where I thought the other two soldiers were at. I saw nothing at first, making me worried that they were gone, but it was when I saw out of the corner of my eyes, boot lying on the floor and they were moving. It made me cringe.

I was the lone survivor.

I reached over to grab the emergency bag that was propped up on the wall, which was now on the floor and still all together, having me grab the strap and yank it over onto my lap. Once it touched my lap, I squinted and yelped out in pain, thinking that I hit something bad on my leg. I brought the bag off my leg to look down and see, the combat pants there on my thighs were crimson and moist. I was bleeding there from the impact and I had no idea why and how it happened. All I could think about now was to get out of the cockpit before things could get worse. I had no idea where I was, if I was in a safe area, or if I was going to be discovered by an Allie.

Or worse, a German.

Opening the bag and digging through the bag, I could feel my nose getting moist and then blood dripping down to touch the top of my hand as I found what I was looking for: a small knife. I grabbed it within my handles, blood still coming down my nose and onto my shin and jawline as I was digging the knife into the straps to shake it back and forth. After a moment or two, the straps flew open and released me, having me sigh out loud in relief now as I then tried to mauve my way over to the door that was really my only way out. But as I tried to push it open, I had no real luck since it was stuck there.

Great.

I looked behind me at the small opening I was looking at before, knowing I have no real choice, but to try and get out that way since there was on another way. I reluctantly and with a bit of force now since my thighs were still damaged and on fire with pain, I got down onto my belly since some of the top of the small opening was closed off and I had to crawl through with my head ducked down. Some of my hair framed my face since the rest was still under the bandana that was cake with blood now. I was going through, army crawl, and grunting with every movement of my legs because with every movement I thought my legs were going to fall off. This was not how this was supposed to go: then again, I had to realize that my own position was thrown up in the air for grabs. I thought I was dead, I should have been dead.

Was this some kind of miracle? A sign of God?

I made it to the cargo area, where some of the damage caved in from the plane itself and I took a breath to look around. The main cargo door that they used to push out the ration boxes was opened slightly, liked it the pushed ajar from the crash and I saw a small slim of light there from the outside coming in. I also saw the body that I saw before, hunched over on the side and out of his seat with his head caked in blood and his eyes stone cold. He was lone gone, no longer having any life in him now as I was looking at him. This was the first time I saw a dead body this close to me, and I had no real idea how to react to that. I was just frozen there, on my belly and my fingers clutching the ground that was beneath me, hoping and praying that this was some kind of dream. But I wannest waking up, and I was in too much pain for this to be a dream.

Reluctantly, I moved away from the dead body that was there, almost like a daunting thing for me to see as I got over to the slightly opened door, placing my bloodied fingers there and then tried to use my strength that I had left to push it open with my hand there. It was creaking open, and the light of the cold forget was coming through and making me squint from the harsh light and the harsh cold.

There was snow there and all around, the tall trees were in front of me though some of it was damaged and bent to the side. The wing on that side slicked through the trees and was snapped off when me touched the ground, having me notice that some of the trees were bent over, like they were snapped twigs instead of trunks of trees. It was a massive sight for me to see, and to once again think that I should be dead from all of this wreckage that I was a part of. Some miracle after all.

The cold air was hitting my face, too cold for me to get out there at the moment. Where was I going to go? I knew that coming down for the landing was merely because that I was trying to get closer and closer to Easy Company, so I was hoping that they were close by enough for me to make my way to them. Did they know it was me? Would someone come this way and see em alive? This was not good.

I had to think.

Since I knew I wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon that was close enough for me to find someone, I had to stay put and find some way to make sure that I wasn't going to lose my legs within the next few days since they were already killing me. I closed the door with hesitance, looking around one more time to make sure that no one was watching me. After I closed the door, I sighed and closed my eye in defeat while I leaned my head against the cold door wall. This was not going in my favor, and I had to think of a way to get me out of here without dying from either bullets flying into me or losing both go my legs from the injuries. I turned to lean against the door, breathing out heavily now and opened my one good eye again.

What was there to do now?

* * *

**George's POV**

"Martin, Liebgott, Babe, Guarnere, Talbert, Christenson, Perconte and Lipton will go out and look for any survivors with the wreckage from the plane crash, the rest of us will follow them to the line as a secondary line of defense." Winters was explaining to us now as we were all in a huddle in front of him. Captain Nixon was right behind him, looking like he just woke up from another round of sleeping within his own foxhole as I was shuffling a bit in my own peacoat.

"Doc Roe will go as the medic in case any survivors needs medical attention, and Shifty will help with the tracking," Winters explained to us once more, "It'll be a clean search and rescue mission and I will notify Battalion CP of our mission here. We only go in and out, no questions asked. If there is any kind of German counter attack that should happen, we will be ready for it. Right now, all our focus should be getting anyone out of that plane that is alive before they get killed by the Germans. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." We all replied to him unison, some of us breaking off to talk to each other as I was standing there with Muck and Penkala, both of whom were looking for skeptic about the whole thing than anything.

"What do you think they're gonna find in there?" Muck asked Penakla next to me as Penkala was lighting a cigarette.

"Who knows, maybe some wine from Paris, better than the ration shit they gave us here," Penkala replied back to him as he was inhaled through his stick, "What do you think George? Maybe some dirty magazines?"

"Food would be nice," I answered him in return, not wanting to be a wet blanket about what I was thinking about and be more optimistic, "Actual food."

"You damn right," Muck said in a glassful manner, then he looked over at me now with a raised eyebrow now, "Hey, you heard from Adaline?"

"No," I said back to him, a bit taken back from how she was now the topic of this conversation between us, which was really rare since he never spoke about her with me when it had nothing to do with teasing or making fun of me liking her, "Why you wanna know?"

"Just wondering is all. We haven't seen her since October and I thought she wrote to you, or you wrote to her." He explained to me now, seeing the hesitant look on my face.

"I didn't write to her at all," It sounded worse than it was, and it felt worse than me saying it. I hated not being able to write to her, and I still wondered why I didn't write to her since I knew that was going to make me feel better about anything that was going on with me. I missed her far too much that should be normal, and yet I did nothing to make it feel better. I pushed her away, which was the dumbest thing I would have ever done to any women in my life. What an idiot.

"Oh," Muck said in a lower tone, almost in surprise, "I thought you did." I walked away from him, already feeling miserable about it now as I was crunching away through the snow. Her face was in my head again. her beautiful face that reminded me of childhood, and warmth, and the greatest example of the word angel, and it once again pained me. Where was she now? I was hoping she was far away from here, somewhere beyond safe and nothing was going to touch her. Somewhere deep inside of me, real deep that I didn't really feel like I was going to feel with any women, made me wonder if I ever did love her. it made me think about it more and more as the rescue group was getting together and the rest of us were getting ready to follow them. My mind was on another matter, the matter of the pilot I fell in love with.

Did she love me back?

* * *

**Adaline's POV**

I finished the last of the wrapping on my thigh, seeing the crimson of the blood already coming through the bandage there as I sighed in relief and tried to rethink what I should do. My compass was back in my jacket pocket, the front pocket since I threw it in there before we crashed. I knew that Easy was somewhere eat, back near the line that I knew I could find when I was in the air. But this was different, I was on the ground now and I had nowhere else to go. Finding in here was a death trap since it was an ice box really. This would have me freeze to death, I had to get out and find my way to the others.

I moved back to the door again, getting it open with a bit more strength now as I also looked back over at the dead body that was still there in the helicopter. I had to do something else that was going to make me sick, but it had to be done. Slowly, and with a grimace look on my face now, I grabbed the crimson stained helmet that the soldier was still wearing and held my breath as I got it on my own head. If someone saw me outside the plane with no helmet on, I would have been in more trouble that I had in store. But this was going to give me some kind of insurance so that I could live just a little bit longer than I thought I would.

I planted my feet on the ground, feeling the weight on my legs now and already the ache was about to begin as I was now standing next to the plane. I looked up and around with my one good eye to see the snow was getting heavier and heavier now, getting on my cheeks and on my tainted and ripped combat gear as I shuffled a bit more with my arms around my chest to get some warmth in me now. I was hoping that I wouldn't have any real reason to run at that moment.

"Okay," I said in a breath, having me look back at the plane on more time before I knew I had to make some kind of effort to finding someone who could help me. I was afraid to leave the plane, since it was only sense of safety I had left, but then again I knew that this plane would kill me in the end if it didn't kill me already.

I moved away and started to walk.

* * *

The more I walked amongst the trees, the colder I was getting around my skin and my bones. My body was still trying to fight so hard to survive, and I was walking like a puppet and the strings were about to break and have me fall to the ground. Blood was soaking my jacket, bandana, and my hair now as I was breathing shallowly and the vision with my one good eye was getting worse and worse. There had to be some way for me get through this, to get out go this alive.

This was going to be impossible.

Even after a few steps within the woods and hearing nothing around me, I thought I heard someone calling out from behind me, where the plane was. I whirled around, squinting in pain now from how my body was hurting and screaming out in pain as I heard someone again far off in the distance now. Great, they found the plane, whoever they were. They didn't sound friendly, having em grunt out as I looked ahead again and started to move after with more and more pain going within every step.

I had to move, very quick.

It was getting harder and harder to breathe as I was trying to move faster and faster, the cold was getting more and more under the skin and wrapping around my bones and making me feel like I couldn't breathe anymore. I was not used to this coldness here since the cold winter in Pennsylvania was warm compared to the cold here. But I couldn't think of the cold that way, it was not going to be healthy.

I had to think of something worth walking through the snow for.

Aaron…my mother and father….The men in Easy Company….mostly importantly…Beth. I saw her in my mind and how she was smiling at me. This was all for her, and for me to almost be dying at the hands of both nature and that war, it was all worth it for her. She had enough money for me to get by and have all that she wanted, even have a stable life because of the money I was giving her. I only hoped that if I was going to die here in Belgium, that she was going to have a good life growing up. It would pain me to know that she would not have a mother or a father, but it was still going to satisfy me knowing that she was going to be okay in this world.

Out in the distance, far off amongst the fall soft white as snow, there was a line of black shadows there. The shadow was past the trees, small enough to show that whatever it was far enough away for me not to see what it really was or if it was a person. But the shape was moving towards me, having me freeze in my spot now as I felt like I was losing my breath over and over again. I was out in the middle of nowhere now, and I no sense of survival as the form looked like to be a group of men. It was all too much, the pain and exertion in my body, the fatigue from the crash, and the coldness from the forest around me. I couldn't do it anymore.

I gave up.

I fell to my knees, my bloody knees were being soaked in ice and freeze cold water as the black shadow was now moving quick towards me as I was about to fall on my back from the pure mess of it all. Faces were appearing in the shadows now, faces that I thought were merely a memory and yet they are real as now the shadow was looking more and more like a group of men standing side by side, rifles in hand, and they were running towards me as I was descending onto the pillow of death that would be called snow.

I was still falling when I passed out cold.

* * *

"_Momma."_

_Everything around me was feeling so warm and so out of body like when I saw her face in front of mine. It was like I was laying on my bed, back at home within my own sheets that were filled with warmth and peace. I felt the warm breeze coming through my window now, my eyes readjusting to the light that was coming into the room, and I heard her voice again._

"_You awake momma?" I turned over to the side now, seeing her face there and how she was standing next to the bed. Her beautiful face, how it shined in the light and her hair was framing her round face in perfection. It was like I have died and gone to heaven since she was smiling at me now and everything as so bright and warm there in the room. She was wearing a white otufit, almost resembling an angel. Maybe I was dead after all._

"_Beth?" I asked, hearing my voice sounding so surprised from being there. Why was I there? Was this some kind of sick dream now as Beth was looking at me like she was mature beyond her years. She grinned at me now, having em wish that I could reach out and touch her skin to make sure this was real._

"_You need to wake up, mommy." I looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she was saying. Wake up? I thought I was already awake when I reached out to touch her, but I was somehow not close enough to physically touch her skin long my own. _

"_They need you, mommy. Wake up mommy." She said it over and over like it was in repeat now, having me hear it more and more until I heard other voices talking in and out of the room without me knowing where it was coming from and who was saying it._

"_Is she stable, Doc?"_

"_We need to get her warm."_

"_Like we can do that out here in the fuckin' forest!"_

"_Get her to Battalion CP, make sure that we keep the IV in."_

_Those voices were going in and out as Beth was still staring at me with love in her eyes and love within her smile, I was trying to focus on her with the other voices coming in and out of the room like the wind._

"_They need you, mommy." Beth said once more to me with her small yet simple voice. I wanted to ask her who needed me, I was still confused about it, but before I could even ask her what she wanted me to do everything went white again. I wanted to call out to find Beth again, to see her face that was the only reality that I had left in this whole situation. _

_Where was I going?_

* * *

With only my one good eye, I was seeing the ceiling high above me now as I was no longer outside in the freeze cold forest, but inside somewhere that was warm and almost soothing, smelling like an old building and some sheets and tainted paint. It felt like I was in a bed somewhere, a small enough bed that made me feel like I was at a hospital of some sort. Where was I?

There was one IV in me, I felt bandages on both of my legs and one gauze taped to my head and my hair pushed back and away from me. My chest was in pain and one of my hands was wrapped in bandages and still aching. I wondered how and I was, and why was I still breathing and alive since I really thought I ascended to heaven.

There are people heard all around me, having me finally be able to move my head now to see that I was in the only one there in the room, which was, in fact, a large room. I was in a row of beds, other wounded soldiers were there and they were either passed out or silent from the treatment that they were getting. I was mostly towards the end of the row, seeing the long line of beds there next to me on my left and how the soft glow of the lanterns were filled in the room now. I wondered how long I was there in that bed since I couldn't feel them move me from the forest, or even being placed in the bed. The covers that were on me were keeping me so warm that I wanted to fall asleep again, but I had no heart to.

I wanted to know what was going on with me.

"You're finally awake." I peered over to my left to see who was talking to me. Lewis Nixon, the man with the 5 o clock shadow evident on his face now as he was next to me at my bed. I looked up with my own good eye, seeing him look at me up and down to see how bad I appeared to him. Did I want to know myself? Could I even speak?

"What..what happened?" I asked him in a coarse tone, seeing him now look at me with hesitance there on his face.

"We found you out in the forest, by yourself." he explained to me, having me watch him as he looked around a bit to make sure no one was going to hear us now, like it was some kind of secret. He carefully sat down on the part of the bed that I was not occupying with my damaged body, having me feel the dip because of his body weight.

"We went to find whoever survived the plane crash, and you were the only survivor from what we saw." he went one some more as I was quiet, still embers waking up in the plane and how much pain I was in, "After we found you, we got you here as soon as we can since Doc thought you were dying from Hypothermia and blood loss."

"Doc?" I asked him, confused since I didn't remember seeing his face anywhere within my dream or hear his voice. Or maybe I did.

"He stayed with you for the past few nights, not letting anyone see you while Spina took over for Easy," Nixon replied to me, his voice and face look a bit more somber about the situation, "For a bit, he didn't think you were going to make it."

"I tried to find you guys." I explained to him with a bit of gruff in my voice, seeing him nod his head.

"I figured, and from what we pieced together, you were the one who was flying the plane that gave us the rations," he informed me, having me go quiet when I remembered that memory, of the fight in the sky and how we were shot out of the sky like it was nothing. I felt a tear in my eye then, the wave of emotions coming over me wit ease now as I tried so hard to hold it back instead of sobbing in front of a Captain. But it was no use, the tears fell and my emotions were damned.

"Adaline," Nixon said to me in almost a soothing tone, having me feel him grasp my cloth wrapped hand within his own hand to bring my eyes back to him now, "You saved us out there, you need to know that. The boys wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for you. That sounds like shit right now since you almost died, but you are the reason most of us are still alive." He was trying to make this better, trying to remind me that what I did for them was right, getting them supplies and maybe, just maybe, hope. I tried to see the hope there in that bed there in the makeshift hospital, but it was of no use.

Nothing was working for me.

After Nixon said his goodbyes to me, I was left alone again in the bed since Nixon was going to call Battalion CP and make a connection to Paris so that the Air Force knew what happened to me. It left me go back to my own thoughts, how I should be dead, but I was spared. But it left the pain there, the physical pain from the crash and the mental on how I was replaying the crash over and over in my head. I should be happy that I was awake and alive, but nothing was sparking me to smile about where I was and that I had breath left in my lungs.

Since Nixon left, I thought of the others in Easy and how they were doing. I wanted to see them, all of their faces and how they were doing. God, it made me miss them more and wonder if they were all okay. Doc's face, Joe's smile and snarky tone, Bull's stature, Buck's piercing blue eyes, all of them were giving me an ache in my heart now as I was there in the bed. How long will it take for me to see them again, to see George?

Oh, George.

Did he know what happened to me? Was he freaking out? I would be if it was him, just wanting to see his face alone killed me from the inside out. I wanted to hear his voice, feel his touch, and just know that he was close by to give me a reason to fight and stay alive. Something made me wish that he was closely enough for me to know, having me only pray that I would leave me place and find him again since he was slowly starting to booming my hold to the earth, my sense of gravity again. I haven't felt that way in a long time about anyone, not since Adam, so maybe I did love George after all.

It wasn't until I heard boots coming down the aisle way over in my direction that I looked over, tentatively now, as I saw another familiar face who made me want to cry from just seeing him. The good old Doc himself.

Eugene.

"You're awake." He said in his low accent of a tone, having me watch him as he instantly went over to my bedside, sinking to his knees to be close to me to have me see his face. He was so worn out from the war, paler now than ever because of the damn cold, and it looked like he hasn't slept in weeks. I wanted to touch his face to know he was real, and how he was staring at me was like he was about to cry.

"Doc." I said to him finally, seeing a broken smile on his face now as we touched foreheads together. He was my good friend that I missed beyond words, and knowing he was here was enough for me to be satisfied.

"You scared me, Adaline," He whispered to me now, holding my hand like how Nixon held my hand mere hours before, and I squeezed I back through the pain in my hand, "You_ really _scared me."

"I'm sorry." I reasoned with him, trying got make it bet in any way that I could.

"I'm just glad you're here now." He said to me in almost a confession, "I promise, I'll make sure nothing happens to you." It sounded so sappy how he said it, but I knew he was reassuring me since he thought me lost me months ago when I left the Company. I needed Doc back in my life, along with the others since I grew closer to them than I cared to admit. I was just glad, the warmth of life was coming back within my heart because of Doc now.

I was living again

* * *

**George's POV**

**Two Days Earlier**

They made me wait outside the ward, they made me _fucking_ wait! I had to watch them carry her in like she was a rag doll into the damn place and they couldn't let me see her before they closed the doors on me. The only one in there was Doc, and the rest had to wait, which was utter bullshit! I wanted to know if she was alright, since when they brought her back to the line where we were, we were all floored from what we were seeing. Doc was not letting anyone touch her as Buck and Bull were carrying her to the jeep like she was a leaf. All of us were in shock, some of us running to her in a sprint when we saw her being brought in through the snow. I ran, I knew I did, and I must have looked like a love-struck fool.

But I didn't care, I wanted to see her awake and alive.

Yet there I was, standing there in front of the doors, looking like an idiot now as the others slowly peeled themselves away and were heading back to the line back in the fucking forest. I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay and see what was going to come of Adaline. She looked like death, literally holding onto her last breath and tinted blue from the cold. It killed me seeing her there, this was not how I wanted to see her again.

They knew it was her in the goddamn plane, saving our lives with ration boxes and more fuel both in food and weapons to get us by, so were we supposed to look at her like she was some kind of saint? How was I going to go that since she was almost killed by the Goddamn Germans? I wanted to kill that German plane that did things to her, but I said nothing, did nothing but stood there and looked in pain from not being to get to her, hold her hand, and beg for her to wake up and live.

"Luz," I heard from the side, having me look and rip my eyes away from the door to see Doc walking over to me now with a letter in his hand HIs hands were bloody now, from Adeline I was guessing and it made me want to puke. But his face was stern and about to break. They were tight, Adaline and Doc, let alone Adaline and Joe too. Joe was already pissed what happened to her and he was willing to go kill any German he saw because of what happened. It took three men to pull him away and head back to the line, yet Doc was still calm about it. I knew he was breaking on the inside out as he handed me the letter.

"It's for you, from Adaline." He said to me in his low tone that was short and authoritative. A letter? To me? I looked at the letter in wonder and then back at Doc, seeing him already walk away now as I held the thin paper in my hand. Something inside me told me not to read it since it was going to hurt. But I decided not to listen to it and I opened it, seeing her neat handwriting inside.

_Dearest George,_

_I first want to let you know, that you are slowly meaning more to me that I ever thought would be possible. I never wanted us to be in trouble for what we feel for each other, and if it means that we both be court-martialed for how we feel, I would be willing to let it happen._

_For you see, I fell in love with you._

_I don't know when, or how it all blossomed from where it started, but I do know that what I feel for you is beyond real. Your smile makes me forget every nightmare or pain that I've ever had, your hand holding mine reminds me of the safety of home. You see past the fact that I am broken or shy or no full of pride. And I can see you're not prideful yourself, not in the way I thought you would be. You changed me for the better, and I can't say I found that ever in another being on this world._

_You changed me for the best, George. _

_I know you want to defend me, and who am I to stand in that way of you to want to show that to me? I never wanted you in trouble for my sake, which is why I pushed you away, and I regret that every day since. It was like you said, I only wished we met outside the war, then we would have had the life we both deserved. You deserved more than what you gave, George, because of your kind heart and your willingness to love._

_I will see you again. I know it. I hope you forgive me for pushing you away like I did. _

_You have my heart,_

_Adaline._

It was then, when I closed the letter, that I clutched it to my chest and I cried for the first time in what seemed like forever.


	20. Chapter 20

The next time I was fully awake was all new to me since they moved me to a secluded area since I was one of the only few females in the makeshift hospital building. It was nice, but once again awkward when I was having a meeting with some of the commanders in the Air Force and the Army, which was awkward to say the least since I was still condemned to the hospital bed and still recovering from my plane crash. Word spread amongst the Companies that a female pilot survived the crash, almost acting like a martyr or a hero, I don't remember which one. But there they were, asking me questions about what kind pf plane I was flying, what kind of plane that Germans were flying next to me, and where I landed. All of those questions were thrown at me ten fold and it was getting exhausting for me to answer them all. But I had to, I knew it was the protocol for them to find out what really happened. No matter how many times I told the story, where I was flying and how fast the plane was going, I knew it wasn't going to satisfy them. Not yet.

Doc got them out of there after an hour of constant questions, claiming that I needed rest and no more combination with anyone else, which was not a complete lie since I did need some rest, but it was still a lie since Colonel Sink came over to talk to me himself. The last time I saw him I was back at the Crossroad aftermath in October, so this was a sore sight for me. I thought I was going to be scolded from what I did, it being foolish or even an idiot move to fly so low to the ground. But I got the opposite.

He was praising me with a medal, along with the fallen soldiers who were in the plane with me. A heroic effort from us shooting down the plane that would have eventually killed Easy. What the hell?

I received a silver star for my effort and for the cause to stop the harm being inflicted on the Americans down below on the ground. I wondered why I would even get this kind of award because I was just flying a plane and making sure I was getting out alive. He saw more in me than that, something more to be awarded for. It made no sense, but as he handed me the case with the star inside and slated me, along with see officers behind him, I could only say nothing.

Say nothing and move on with my life.

That whole day was a blur, and I knew more was to come. No one else in Easy, besides Doc, came over to see me. Doc reassured me that they were swamped back at Bastogne and were slowly moving forward along the line, since he was moving back and forth between taking care of me and going back to the men in Easy. I would ask him to watch out for the others for me, which sounded so silly since he was already doing that plenty a time. It's been six days since I was rescued in the forest, and over time I would see Doc return from the forest and from the line, he would look worse and worse. But he would tell me the others were thinking about me, and George as well.

"How is he, Doc?" I asked him as we were eating dinner together one night, mostly ration food that they got together for the wounded in the building. Doc was in his chair and was eating with me and I was slowly getting better. The bruises that looked like blackness on my skin were lighter and less frightening to look at, the scrapes along my skin were turning into scars now, making me feel more and more like a soldier than anything.

"He's trying to get by, day by day. I know he's not liking not bein' here with you, and he asks about you constantly," he explained to me as I ate some of the K rations on my plate now with hesitance there and my eyes on him to see what he was saying was true, "He's not the same, since he found out what happened to you. Hell, he's changed for longer than that."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, clearly not liking how George has changed from how he was before. I knew that I gave him some kind of pain after leaving the men back in October, but then again I had no idea who bad it was for him, how much he has changed and how much it as affected him.

"You know how he used to be, he just….wasn't like that anymore." I could tell this was not the kind of topic that Doc liked to talk about from time to time, and who was I to push it on him otherwise to get more information?

"I think it had something to do with me," I said to him, having me see him watch me now as I placed the plate I was eating off of on the nightstand, "Since I found out Cobb was talking about the both of us, it hasn't been the same."

"You know, none of the guys were talkin' about you two…right?" He asked me now hesitantly, having me realize that he was giving me the look that he was in hot water. I knew he wanted me to know that he hoped that he had nothing to do with me getting in whatever trouble I was in. I once again felt bad for doing that to Doc.

"No, Doc….I knew it wasn't any of you guys. It was the officers talkin' to each other. Winters told me a couple of weeks ago when I saw him in Paris," I explained to him calmly now as he was shifting a bit uncomfortably in his chair next to me, tapping his fingers against the tin plate, "Cobb just heard what they were sayin' and he was looking to get a rise out of me."

"Some of the guys are still bitter about it, by the way. He's really not liked with most of the guys these days any who," Doc commented to me now, having me smile weakly at him. I could tell how he was trying to be the one that would mend not only wounds of the skin but the wounds of the heart as well. I have missed talking to him on a regular base since he was so calm about everything around him, and yet bold in what he cared for.

"Adaline…maybe I could find way to get him in here to see you," He suggested with a shrug of his shoulders, having me look at him now with wide eyes and in shock since it sounded too good to be true, "I can't say it's a set decision, but it wouldn't hurt you havin' another visitor in here other than me."

"You make it sound like I'm getting worn of you," I said to him in a light manner as he was eyeing me, "I would never get worn of you, Eugene Roe."

"Still, all the same, George would really want to see you," he explained to me again now as he once again shifted in his chair and looked around to see if others were going to listen in on our conversation. He looked back at me now with a small look of determination on his face, "I don't know if it can be set in stone, but then again it won't hurt to try." It seemed too much, for him to get himself in trouble for me, for George and I to have some kind of forbidden meeting with each other.

"Why would you do that?" I asked him since it felt like this was not a real thing that was about to happen. He just shrugged his shoulders, having me really wish I could see the wheels turning in his head.

"You're my friend. You went through hell and back, it's the least I can do." He answered be back, having me only wish that I could get out of the bed and hug him close to showing how much he meant to me. But I was only there in the bed, having me heart expand and break at the same time for how much compassion this one person had within me.

"Thank you, Doc." I said to him, yet there was more I wanted to tell and do to him in order to show all that I was feeling. This was all I could do within that moment.

* * *

Another day came, in which now I was being visited by Dick Winters himself. I haven't seen him since we were in Paris and talking over coffee and the latest scandal that came through Easy all because of me. Just like Doc, I could see the wear and tear of the war in the cold forest were doing to him. But he looked alright none the less, smiling at me as he too was looking at me up and down like he was looking at a ghost. I might have looked like one at that point, but then again it was not the real reason why he wanted to come and see me in the first place.

"How are you holding up here, Adaline?" He asked me kindly.

"I'm getting by, more and more every day, sir." I explained to him as a reply, seeing Doc was giving us some space and he was back with Easy that day.

"Glad to hear it, and to see you're recovering very well." He responded back to me, having me see a look of pause there on his face now like he was in deep thought, "I also wanted to talk to you about our discussion we had two months ago back in Paris."

"What about it, sir?" I asked him, already feeling another thread of awkward looks and silence about to happen between the two of us now like it did before.

"I talked to both Nixon and Welsch about the conversations that they had…about you," he explained, for some reason that made me squeeze the bed sheet between my fingers now in agitation and in fear of what he was going to say. His eyes went to my fingers, having em smooth out the bed sheets to try and undo what I did.

"Adaline, they understand what they did was wrong and they did feel terrible on how they handled it," Winters started to explain to me calmly as he could see that I was once again sweating bullets just from thinking of how this could all lead to scandal amongst the company, "None of the officers in Easy ever saw you in kind of light that you thought we did. I hope you know that."

"I do…sir." I said to him calmly now, seeing that he was telling the truth and how affected he looked on his face.

"We are all rooting for you to get better and hopefully come out to us and make an appearance, I know the men would really want to see you," Winters said to me in hopes that I could really cooperate with him like there was any real reason or me not to cooperate with him. I was just glad that they were no longer seeing me in that light, no matter how bad I thought it would be. They were just looking for me to get back home to them.

"I would really like that, sir." I replied since there was nothing else really to say. He was trying to bring me back, both with my chaotic mindset of what happened and how I felt so far away from them within months, if not longer. He just smiled, the smile that would make anyone around him feel like they were home again.

"Good to hear, Adaline."

* * *

"Adaline, hey, _réveiler, ami._( Wake up, friend)." I yawned and rolled a bit in my bed as I felt a hand on my shoulder, gently shaking me as I saw myself once again in darkness. It had to have been early in the morning since nothing else was bright enough to signify the sun and I was once again dreaming about Beth, the same dream I had when I passed out in the cold. She was telling me that they needed me, I was meant to live. I was still confused about that dream, yet I welcomed it since I was could get some kind of vision of my daughter.

I wondered why I was being awoken so early in the morning, and if something was very wrong. But I didn't sense that at all, seeing a tired but war looking face of Doc Roe standing over me like an angel.

"What is it?" I asked him now, seeing him just grin at me and place a finger over his lips, having me just grin back at him at the pure wonder of it all. He then moved out of the way, having me hear someone was outside of my area, waiting for me like some kind of surprise there for me.

"I can only give you an hour, that's all." he explained as I was still trying to get the sleep out from my eyes and from my mind. It was harder than it seemed since I was sleeping so well. I was about to ask him what he was talking about when I saw him move his hand over to the curtain and shove the opening to the side, having me finally see who it was that was riding there this whole time. It made me lose my breath now and almost start crying in tears.

George Luz, a small smile was on his face.

"George." I said to him, thinking that my mind was playing tricks on me that someone was having a laugh at how pathetic I sounded. But he was there, in front of me and almost seeming good and pure for me to see there within my bed. He walked over to me, still not saying a word and having me grin at him so big that I get my muscle hurting within my cheeks now as I saw his face more clearly. He too looked worn, the stubble on his face and the bags under his eyes, not to mention how his hair was growing a bit longer now that how short it used to be.

"Heya sweetheart," He said to me finally, having me reach up to take his hand within my own like old time. As soon as our hands touched, it felt like he was now breaking apart at the seems as he then sat down like a lump onto the same chair that Doc used from time to time.

"You have never called me that," I reminded him, almost playfully in a coarse tone now as he grinned at me now with his warm smile that made all of this pain so away, all of this worry that I had before was no longer a nightmare that I thought I had to live with.

"I don't know what else to call you, but I just too damn happy to see you to give a care." He replied back to me with his warm eyes that were glistened with tears. I was in tears myself, since seeing him was more than enough for me after being away from each other for two months almost to the day.

"I've missed you, Adaline." He whispered to me lovingly now as he laced our fingers together, resting the back of my hand against his lips as he was speaking this to me, and it made everything around me stand still.

"Same here, George. Same here."

* * *

"I can see you got some sun there in Paris." George and I were talking together like we were back sitting on one of the plane wings back stateside with nothing else holding us back. Doc once again was giving me space, staying outside of the curtain closed off area that I was in, and George and I were talking in harsh whispers. I was on my back in the bed as George was eye level with me, sitting in his chair and leaning towards me to be close enough.

"Sun? George, it was freezing there." I said in a small giggle now as he was chuckling there next to me, still holding my hand with one of his and his other hand reach over to using my hair from my eyes.

"You still look tan to me, either that or I'm sleep deprived." He joked back to me.

"I think it's the latter, I can't tan for anything," I reassured him, "Though I do thank you for the gesture."

"You are always so kind, even to someone like me," He explained, sounding a bit off from what I was used to with him.

"Someone like you?" I asked, not understanding what he was saying and how he was talking to me like this like he was trying to have me forgive him for something that was from the past.

"Oh come on, Adaline. I know I'm not the perfect guy, let alone a great guy in general. Let's be honest, the way I acted to Cobb back there after he…..after he insulted you," I could see the pain of hurt on his face when he was bringing back the old memories of the incident with Cobb, "I was the best example then of why I shouldn't be with you."

"Are you trying to make this reunion worse?" I asked him with a hint of agitation there in my tone now since he was once again trying to make it seem like he was a worse person than he was to me, "Because it's not working in your favor."

"I'm letting you know what is happening with the both of us—" He started, having me squeeze his hand in my own just to get his attention back to me and for him to shut up.

"Which is that we're back together and we both are alive," I answered to him, shaking my head at him now before he was going to once again talk about the woes of his life, "Don't think you're less of a man than you really are, George Luz. I think you're far more than what you give yourself credit for."

"I wanted to tell you, but you are gone," He explained to me some more, having me breathe out shakily now as I nodded my head in agreement.

"And that was one of the worst things I have ever done since I signed my life away," I reassured him now, watching him analyze my eyes, "But you were one of the best things that came to me. I was lost those two months, I really was. So don't think of yourself as a lesser man, because you're more than that to me." It was silent between us for a moment or two, the both of us drinking in what we were saying to each other. I even wondered if Doc was listening in to what we were saying, but George and I were still zoned in on each other and nothing else around us.

"I got your letter, well, Doc gave it to me when they brought you in here after you crashed," George explained to me more thoughtfully, having me grin at him since we were no longer having him be a part of our conversation, "If it's okay with you…I read it."

"Like I would care if you read it or not….I meant every word." I explained.

"I would hope so, or else I would be gratefully disappointed if you lied." He replied back to me, the warmth back there for me to see and I once again felt a small sense of butterflies within my chest.

"If I were to ever toy with emotions, that would not be it. Now, I have other means to toy with you…" I trailed off, hearing him chuckle at me now as he leaned in to kiss me sweetly on the lips. The last time we kissed seemed so long ago, Almost like a distant memory, something that would float into my thoughts from time to time. But now, kissing him again, it was so real again almost like a freight train that took over all of my senses.

"If it's any constellation," George said against my lips as he only pulled away briefly to stare right at me, "I love you too, more than I can ever tell you."

"I should have told you before I left, since writing it in a letter seemed so morbid." I confessed, yet I was feeling like I was floating when he told me he loved me too.

"I don't think, I thought it was romantic." He added to me, a hit of blush was there on my cheeks now, "Never had a girl write to me like that before."

"Like how?" I pondered with him, seeing him tilt his head at me now and chuckle slightly before he gave me the answer that would make me feel so lucky, so secure with him and so safe even while I was still trying to heal and survive this war.

"Like I was worth something to somebody."

* * *

Two more nights later, and it all came to a heavy head when I was fast asleep in my bed and others were too in their own dreams. Something woke us all up, a loud air raid was heard outside the makeshift hospital hall. It was loud, almost like a warning that we were about to die. I knew what that meant:

We were in trouble.

"Come, you must come quickly now! Up you get, ma'am." My blankets were thrown off my body and I felt hands under my arms and around my waist, hitting me up from my bed and I was squinting since I was still recovering. I wondered what was going on where we were going, but the sleepiness was still rubbing off of me now. I looked over at the medic who was walking me down the hall, more and more soldiers hopping out of beds as the sirens were going off over and over again. People were frantic, talking to each other in loud tones as I limped through every step but kept up with the pace.

"What's going on?" I asked him now as we reached the end of the aisle near the front door. The ground shook, hell the whole building shook and we all froze, knowing that it was an explosion that just went off nearby.

"We're being bombed, we must relocated you and the other wounded to another town," He explained to me as we walked out of the door with the brisk cool air hitting out faces and the smell of smoke rising in the air. I knew something was up when I saw soldiers piling into moving trucks, slowly getting in little by little as I was being moved over to one of the passenger jeeps and a driver was already in the front street. I was placed in the back when another bomb went toff, this time it was getting closer and the shake was way more violent, it was at that moment when I panicked. I knew that if I moved out of here now, Easy would not be able to find me if they didn't know where to look. I just got my hands on Doc, and now I had no idea when I was going to see the others again, to see George again.

"Wait! I need to find my Company!" I said to the soldier, but he was not listening as he was about to go over to the driver with instructions.

"You need to get out of here, that is our priority now." He said to me in a calm manner, but I grabbed his jacket sleeve for him to look at me directly in the eye.

"I am a member of the American Air Force, and I am under strict orders to stay obligated and connected to my Company at all times throughout this war, and if you're not going to let that happen to me, I will make sure come hell or high water that you will be court martial for not taking a direct order from an Air Force officer." I explained to him in such a bold tone that the made him go silent from what I had to him. I was willing to lie about that fact that I was an officer, but then again it felt like I was somewhat promoted because of that Goddamn Silver Star. But I was not going to let Easy Company fall away from me again, not this time.

"What Company are with from?" He asked me, finally having me take out a shaky breath then as we heard more and more trucks leaving and people were running now.

"Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry and 2nd Battalion," I explained to him, one more bomb going off and people were sprinting at this moment. He nodded his head at me before tapping on the jeep surface to signal to the driver to start the jeep. Once again, I was driving away in hopes that I was not going to be forgotten. I had to sit there in the jeep, wondering where I was going to end up next. This was the one time I had no real control as to what was going to happen to me next and where I was going to end up, all thanks to me still be wounded and trying to heal and having no real good ties left to hold me down and grounded.

Where was I going to end up?

* * *

"Alright soldiers, we have some news on the front," We were all in our new aid station about 30 miles out of the way and nowhere near the bombings that were going off in Bastogne. I had no idea where we were, which city we occupied then and how long we were going to be there. I was within the same large room as the others who were taken out of there before the bombs went off, there were at least 80 of us out of there, and who knows how many were left behind in other buildings or makeshift hospitals.

"As of what we know and what we were told by the Allies who survived, none of the buildings were left standing," A Lieutenant explained to us, having me hear the soft murmurs and gas from the other wounded soldiers in the small enough space that used to be a cathedral. This town was smaller than Bastogne, a bit more on the shabby side but none the less a town that we can occupy.

"Most of the debris that was left behind after the air assault killed some if not most of the nurses who were occupying and facilitating the hospitals there," I cringed from what I was hearing, thinking of those who were trying to make us feel better and get us back on our feet. Now they were lost.

"What about our Companies, sir? When we are gonna get back to them?" One of the soldiers yelled out to him from our crowd, in which I was thinking of the exact same thing now.

"We are locating your Companies and letting them know where you are and that you are under our care and command. However, there are a few number of you who are needing to stay with us more than a week,and if that is the case, you are going to be assigned to a new company no questions asked." Great, another blow to the stomach and mindset. If I was going to stay with Easy Company, I needed to get out of here in less than a week. That was going to be a challenge, let alone figuring out where Easy Company was so I can get there.

"Which is utter bullshit. I don't wanna lose my Company!" Someone grumbled in annoyance as the lieutenant walked away from us. The men dispersed as I was standing there, still having bandages there along my skin and the bruise were about to be taken away forever. But it was still haunting, thinking that I was going to be lost in the shuffle forever. We were all stuck there, within those stone walls and having nothing else to do, but wait. Wait to either go home or go somewhere else in the war. Was I going to go home to Beth and see her again, or was I going to be placed with strangers? I didn't know where I was going to be, and it scared me beyond so.

* * *

"I'm looking for the only Goddamn female in this God Forsaken chapel!" I looked up from my spot, sitting in the corner where most of us were waiting to hear when we were going to be moved out and back with our own men in our own Companies. I was sitting with my fingers twirling together as I heard someone who sounded way too familiar and way too close to home.

"O'Malley, where is she?" It was Colonel Sink, having me stay in my chair int he corner of the room now as the other soldiers were moving away from me like the plague as he walked over with some of his officers. I said nothing, did nothing as he eyed me up and down now.

"We couldn't find you for the last few hours, having me think you were part of the bombing that happened back in Bastogne, and I was contacted by the Air Force as to why one of their pilots went MIA." He explained to me, almost in a gruff like he was having the worst day all because of me. I said nothing at first, not knowing what to say to him, "Now how was I going to tell them that you were killed over our line of battle when you were only allowed to do a ration drop off?"

"Didn't think I was needed by the Air Force anymore, sir." I replied smoothly, not really thinking of another way to say it. He snorted, having em wonder if I just kissed my own ass goodbye to head back to the states now.

"As of right now, you are going to stay with the Easy Company men util the Air Force can find a way to get you back to the base in Paris, it's too high of a risk for you to leave the area on your own since we're being bombed left and right," He explained to me, the other two officers behind him were looking at each other in confusion as to why he was talking to me, of all the soldiers there in the chapel. They too were watching the situation that was going on with Sink and I, "I have no real reason to keep you in here and not get you to work with the men."

"Work, sir?" I asked him, having it sound like he was trying to use me as an errand boy again within the beginning of the war and I had no real purpose about where I was supposed to be there. It had to be been some sight for Sink to have to deal with, an injured female American pilot with a grungy combat uniform to wear and my scars were still visible for be the evidence of a crash that should have killed me.

"Providing them aid, being our main commander of transport to and from locations, the works." He informed me, having me really wonder if what he was saying was going to be true enough for me. From the look on his face, he was really endorsing this for me. I was a bit shocked that he would want me back.

"You willing to do that for the men, O'Malley?" he asked me now, that look of a Colonel was drilling into me as I felt more like a sniffling pilot there in his presence.

"I have real ranking for the men to look at and listen," I admitted to him, having it try not to sound petty or pathetic, "The Air Force gave me no ranking when I signed up."

"You'll have a ranking with us, you deserve it. Hell, I'll talk to the Air Force to give you some kind of ranking that's higher than an NCO for all I care." It sounded too good to be true now, having not only a pilot ranking in the Air Force, but a ranking in the Army too since that's all that was needed for me in the case of where I belonged. I really did think I was not one of the men in Easy, even after hearing Doc and Joe and George reassure me that I was, along with the rest of the boys, this was the one moment that made me realize that I was indeed needed.

"Come on, Master Sergeant O'Malley, I'm taking you back to the men in Noville." He explained to me, having me hop up from my chair now as he was about to walk away. I was confused: Noville? That didn't sound like Bastogne at all, and I thought the men were there now.

"Noville?" I asked him, seeing him look back at me now and I gave him a confusion look in my eyes, "I thought the men were in Bastogne, sir."

"They moved from Bastogne, securing another town." He replied, then moving along down the mass group of injured men, having me still stay there within my spot and in my shoes now. I must have been gone for far too long, not being able ton see the men back in Bastogne or even see them in action in Foye. The crash pulled me away from them long enough, about a week or two now. But now that I was going back, with a new ranking and a new sense of hope within me, yet it was not strong enough to carry me forward again.

The crash wrecked me.

* * *

**Noville, Bastogne Belgium**

**January 17th, 1945**

Once again, sitting in the backseat of a jeep with some other Officers driving for me, yet it felt more out of place for me not to drive. They were taking me back to Easy under strict orders of Colonel Sink, and I now had a ranking with Easy Company as their head driver again and commander of transportation for Easy. It was award for me to wear a ranking on my sleeve, I was used to my Air Force combat gear, but this was odd for me with a new jacket and set of gear to hold onto. I had a new combat bag to take with me, along with some of the Air Force belongings that I kept with me just in case it was needed. I didn't mind if it was more things to take on my back, it was better than having nothing at all.

"Easy is around the corner, ma'am. They're wrapping up here town," The driver explained to me as I leaned over to talk to him more, only a wee bit sore from the crash but still being ale to walk around and hold my own.

"What's the head count on the men?" I asked them.

"Count is staying the same, more injured than dead." He replied, having me swallow a bit of fear down since they were being injured left and right, kind of like myself. The way this town looked, the war debris coming in and out of the old walls and along the cobbled streets. I knew war was like this, I was used to the sites so many times in the very beginning, but it was still too raw for me to digest.

"Here they are, in the square." I slammed my head over to where he was pointing, Within that small square, the rubble everywhere and some small glimmer of light coming through gray dark clouds above, a haggle of Easy men were all talking and standing together, having me see that they were waiting to hop to the next town that they were going to be stationed at. Once again, the war got the best of them in their faces and how they looked so paper thin and on the verge of breaking into a thousand pieces. Beards were being formed, their clothes were grungy and close to being black now. The only thing that was the same was their faces and how their eyes were still the same shade and almost having a glimmer within them that I remembered before.

The jeep stopped near them, along one of the damaged buildings as I hopped out carefully and with a small ounce of pain there. I grabbed the combat bag just as I heard no other talking amongst the men in the group, having me carefully look over my shoulder now to see what was going on. All of them, each Easy member in that square, was watching me now with looks of both shock, relief and happiness there on their faces. I knew I looked different since they saw me last, some small scars on my face and looking more thin thanks for the food rations at the hospital, not to mention still having a bit of a limp from my legs and their recovery. But I still hoped that they saw me the same and that what Winters and Doc told me, they were glad to see me.

"Adaline?" I heard Bull ask, shock was in his tone now as he was standing with Martin and Talbert, having me smile at him and hold the army bag close to my side now with clenched fingers around the strap. Someone pushed their way through the crowd there since no one was moving around, all being like statues. The one who pushed through the men was Joe Liebgott, having me see how much he was in shock from seeing me as he was the only one who walked over and right at me. Within seconds, he sighed in relief as he hugged me, wrapping both arms around me now and with a bit of force to have me grunt from the pressure there against my wounded legs and my hand released the bag that I was holding. I hugged him back as much as I could, having a sense of relief come over me.

"You look like shit, Adaline." Joe said to me as he pulled away and eyed me up and down. God, how I missed his language and how he would talk without really thinking of what he was saying.

"Language!" I scolded him playfully, hearing him chuckle a bit and the others laughing from my banter with him.

"Well, she sounds like her old self," Babe said in a snort as some of the others started to walk over to where I was now, grins back on their faces and hope in their steps.

"Seriously, though. What did they do to you?" Martin asked me in wonder now as he too was analyzing me from his stance next to Bull.

"Well, Ration food in hospitals are not really that fattening," I commented to him, yet I knew he was looking more at my injuries than anything else, "Plus I think I scared them off a bit when they heard what I did with my own plane."

"Acting like a real daredevil, didn't ya?" Bull asked me.

"We thought you were somewhere back in Bastogne," Babe explained to me in interest, "Doc told us what happened to the church, when he went back with Welsch and he tried to find you and bring you to us."

"He didn't see you there…" Joe added on with some worry in his tone now, "No one was left there alive and we figured—"

"They got me out of there before it was hit. Trust me, I wanted to find you guys and I tried, but they wouldn't let me go back." I answered them all, hoping that having me see then Talbert look at my jacket and new ranking with a huge grin on his face.

"You're in the army now?" All of the men looked at my attire, no more at my face then.

"Sink thinks I'm better suited with you guys than back at the Air Force, and since I did well enough on a plane for him, he thinks I'm Master Sergeant material." I explained to them.

"Well, he did one right thing after all," Joe said back in a snarky reply now, "Good thing you're back with us, since George's been mopping around like a sick puppy without you."

"Don't start with that, or she'll run off again." Malarky said to him kindly and as a joke, but then he looked over at me. I wondered what the others were thinking about when I left them all some time ago. I knew Doc told me that they didn't say anything about George and I, but I only heard it from another source, but from the men themselves. How was I going to ask them about it? I opened my mouth to say something, but Martin held up his hand to me to have me not say a word.

"Adaline, it's fine. We don't talk about you guys like that, we never did." Martin reassured me, the others saying nothing but nodding in agreement. It was like a breath of fresh air, they can read me like a book on how I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. I just smiled, there was no real need for me to worry about that at all.

"Adaline?" Babe asked, getting my attention over to him from the back of the pack of men in front of me, "George he's…he's back at Headquarters with some of the officers going over rations…if you wanted to see him." I grinned at him, nodding my head as I reached down to grab my bag within my fingers again. As much as I wanted to see the men and talk to them all about what has been going on for the past few months, George was the one whom I wanted to see again.

"I'll walk with you, gotta go find the Doc anyways," Babe said to me now, ushering me away from the others now, walking across the courtyard with Babe and over to what looked like to be HQ. I could hear some men talking in there to each other and I could make out a small gimme of light within the walls when we were getting closer and closer still.

"You know, Luz told us how Doc got him in for an hour to see you, some of us were beggin' the same thing." Babe said to me as we were walking together, almost in step now as I eyed him. His hair, which was once a radiant red in the sunlight and flopped to the side like a boyish charm, was too getting longer and losing its vibrant shade.

"Really? What about Guarnere, did he want to break the rules too?" I asked him, instantly thinking of Wild Bull. But as soon as I mentioned his name, I saw something shift in Abbe's walk and how his face was no longer war anymore like I struck a bad cord. He knew something about Guarnere, and since I haven't seen Will Bull with the rest of the boys moments, ago, something was not right.

"Babe?" I asked him, trying to get him to talk about what happened. Babe sighed, looking over at me now with sad eyes on his face and in his stance next to me.

"Guarnere and Joe Toye lost their legs back at Foye," It hit me hard, having me not say a word now as it was sinking into me. They both were sent home, for being injured to the point where they couldn't stay? It was so sad to think, they both didn't deserve it at all. I wanted to see them again, see their warm faces and hear their war voices again.

"Shit," I said out loud, already thinking to myself on how this war was going to go on and if this was ever going to end.

"And they're not the only ones," Babe commented in a gruff, rubbing his face with his fingers now, having me shoot a glare at him in wonder.

"What do you mean?" I asked him in wonder now, thinking of what else there could be now with this whole shithole of a situation.

"Muck and Penkala are dead," Babe said shortly before walking away from me, "Hit by a bomb." He was still walking away from me into HQ, and all I could do now was drink it in all over again. Now Muck and Penkala are dead? These past two months, I knew it was hard for them, but I had no real clue as to how hard it was and how much damage it was going to bring to them all.

I kept walking after Babe, getting my own head together again now as I opened the door and peered inside. From the HQ areas that I have been in before, this one looked like they were just trying to get by, with only a few chairs here and there and a makeshift desk with plenty of papers and maps there on the top.

Winters and Nixon were talking to each other over the desk and pointing at the maps, Lipton was in a conversation with another officer whom I didn't know quite well, though he looked like he was one of the captains, Babe was walking over to Doc who was equipping his satchel with more medication and tools, and a couple NCO's were talking to George who was at the corner table that was filled with some rations and looking over a clipboard. He looked worn out just being there like he hasn't had real sleep within this town.

"Well, you are a sight for sore eyes, Adaline O'Malley." My name was rung in the room as Lipton walked over to me with a big grin on his face, having me grin back at him since his smile reminded me of my brother: familiarity and safeness. The rest of the men in the room looked up to see me, all of them with big grins on their faces now. I could see all of them watching me now as Lipton shook my hand in earnest and I shook it back.

"Good to see you too, Lipton." I said back to him, now looking over to where George was and he grinned at me too, most having a sense of relief wash over him to see me there, standing in one piece. What was he going to think about be not being bombed that night? I wanted to ask, but others were coming up to me to see how I was.

"You're a Sergeant now, O'Malley?" Nixon asked me in a kind tone, looking more surprised about it than anything.

"I am, sir. I'm in charge of the transportation now, apparently." I explained, seeing him nod his head in agreement.

"Rightfully so," Nixon said back as Welsch walked over to me now with his own goofy grin on his face.

"Couldn't agree more," He informed me,"We're glad you're back safe and sound."

"Thank you sir." I said to him as Winters waved for me to come over to the table.

"I want to fill you in since you're going to take care of jeeps and trucks for us," Winters explained, pointing behind him to the captain who was talking to Lipton a few moments ago,"This is Captain Ronald Spiers, a transferred officer from Dog Company who is working with Easy now." The Captain walked over to us now, his hands behind his back like he was really a Captain with a walking stature that would make any man gravel to him. He had a handsome face, and also that seemed to be too serious and yet compassionate at the same time. I knew one thing: he was no Sobel from the look on his face.

"Captain Spiers, this is Master Sergeant Adaline O'Malley from the Air Force, she'll be handling our transportation from now on." Winters told him as we both shook hands in front of him. Spiers gave me a kind small smile that made me feel no so afraid of him now.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He said to me, his voice was soothing and yet authoritative at the same time.

"Same to you, sir." I said to him now. I felt more at ease being back with the men in Easy though we lost a few without me there. I missed those who were lost, but I had to face that fact that we had to move on, and still try to get through this war without losing anyone else. They even almost lost me, and yet I decided to come back, I decided to try and live instead of keeling over and dying.

I only wondered what this war was going to bring us next?


	21. Chapter 21

**February 3rd, 1945**

**Hangunau, France**

This town was the next place we were going to stay in for awhile, and none of us knew why except for Winters and Nixon. They both weren't reply liking the fact that we were still moving around aimlessly really, but then again it was better than being out in Bastogne or in Foye. The boys were glad to be out of the cold, and although I didn't go through that cold with them, they still accepted me back tenfold and with open arms.

The cold made them all cool on the outside, no longer having warm grins to throw around at each other. I knew why: all of the cold nights and the bitter thoughts that they weren't going to make it, some of their friends being killed because of the nights and days of battle, others losing their minds and sanity from the isolation and constant whispers of the wind, and of course, the two closest ones who lost their legs and had to be sent home.

Now we were going to be in a new place, a new town to take over and liberate, and we were acting like this was the last place we wanted to be in. I could see it in their eyes and how they would sit in the jeeps, talking to each other and looking out in the distance with no life in them anymore.

Thankfully, George was still there in his spirits, since I came back to the men he had to find some ways to stay close to me and not have me leave his sight. I would never take him as the protective type, then again I did almost die in a plane crash and he was left with a letter that I was going to give him. It had to have been nerve-wracking for him, and I felt like a great girlfriend then. But we would help each other in any way that we could: getting through rations next to him and the paperwork that was included, and him helping me with organizing the jeeps in their proper places before we would move out to the next town. I knew he was trying to make things positive for the others, however, he too was having the cold affect him far too much and it makes the light within him more dim and less of a catch.

I still stayed close enough to him, though. I knew he needed it.

We rolled into the town, abandoned buildings left and right with some pieces missing from the corners or in front of those walls. This town was beyond damaged and broken down from the war that was affecting all that we were touching now as I was sitting in one of the main trucks that were carrying in our rations and some of the men. Other were on a patrol nearby, so it was mostly myself, George since he was in charge of the rations, and the rest for the NCO's who were not on the patrol that day.

"Over here on the right, near those buildings there." I explained to the private who was driving, having myself noticed that we were not the only ones in the town. Other Companies were there, walking to and from the buildings and watching us now with almost eyes of an annoyance now while we were driving through the mud of the road. It was nice to know we weren't the only ones there in the town, but then again, it felt more daunting to have others around us now.

"Here you go, Sergeant," the private said to me now as we parked our trucks over near one of the main buildings that seemed less damaged. I saluted him before hopping out and walking over to the back, seeing the backdoor still open and the couple other trucks parking behind me. I got the door, tapping it twice with my fist and hearing the movement within the truck.

"Move your ass out of the way, Jesus." I heard within the flaps of the trucks, making me crack a grin now as someone popped their head out from the flaps: Malarky.

"We there, Ace?" He asked me in wonder. He was looking thinner since he too was a Staff Sergeant and was getting more of job placed on his plate. A beard was growing in on him, but then again he was still kind enough to me,

"We made it," I replied, seeing him go back into the truck again as I spoke up, "And don't call me that!"

"Why not? It's your name now," He replied to me from inside the truck now. I received that name from the men the very same day I came into Noville, all of them thinking that I was needing a nickname since I was part of their company officially now. I was still getting used to the new attire and protocol, not to mention I was still not skilled to use a rifle like the rest of them. But after consideration, they told me that I was better off with a pistol than anything, better that than being unarmed.

"Says who?" I asked him in a hint of agitation now, seeing another body hop out of the truck now and land on his feet. I grinned from who it was in front of me, a plastered smile on his face as it was none other than George Luz.

"Says me," He replied in a happy manner, having me chuckle now as he was grinning at me from ear to ear and his floppy hair was swaying with the cool wind, "I find it to be an appropriate name for you since you're officially one of us now."

"Not that I wasn't one before." I said to him in almost a dry humor kind of way.

"Oh ha ha, be nice to your boyfriend." He said to me in a mocked tone, having me giggle now as he leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. Another person was coming out of the truck, the both of us moving away from one another again as Lipton was the one who was struggling to come out of the truck now. He was getting sick from the looks of it, the loss of color on his face and the way eh was trying to keep going with his duties as Lieutenant but was lagging in energy and health. It was not looking good in his favor.

"Come on, Sergeant, there's bound to be a bed for you inside one of those rooms. If not, we can make you one," Johnny Martin explained to him as he too jumped out of the truck and then walked next to Lipton, almost like he was waiting for him to fall over at any second.

"I'll be okay, Johnny. I just need to find where Captain Winters is…" Lipton started before he started another round of coughing and almost fell to the floor from all the heaving he was doing.

"Nope," Johnny replied, grabbing Lipton by the arm to make sure he didn't fall over and break his head open on the icy floor,"Doc's orders: you need a bed to lie down in and you need to stay warm."

"But Captain Winters…" Lipton was about to protest.

"Told me to tell you to follow Doc's orders. Don't make me report you into CP." Johnny advised him calmly as they walked away. I felt bad for Lipton since he took good care of the boys back in Bastogne and near Foye that now he had to be the one who was going to be taken care of.

"Poor bastard," George said as he too was watching, "Caught it yesterday: Pneumonia. Doc says he's going to be sitting out of a week or two."

"I doubt that's what he wants anyways," I said to agree with him. Others from Easy were coming out of the trucks now as Malarky finally got out of the truck out and stretched his back.

"Finally, felt like we were in there for hours," He said in almost a comment for light conversation with George and I, "After you guys get settled with the trucks, head over to CP and get squared away with the rations there."

"You got it, Malarky," George replied back to him as he shoved his hair from his eyes, "Hey, any word on the others who went on patrol?"

"Not yet, but they're due back in an hour or so," Malarky answered him and a rub of his beard with his fingers, "The way I see it, those who went out during the day are going to be the ones going out at night. I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks," I said to him as he walked off towards CP, seeing the others making the migration in the same direction. We all looked the same: grungy, stained with blood and mass effects of the war, and their burdens as well. It felt so surreal to seem them all there walking like they were brainless, They didn't look like they were the same group of men that I met back at the states some years ago. They were no longer boys filled with youth, vigor, and wonder, they were just lost souls try to make it to the next day and not die. It was depressing to think about.

"Come on, let's do ration protocol and then we can go a walk make," He suggested, the both of us starting to walk together now along the muddy ground with our boots splattering in the thick liquid.

"How much more rations do we have to go, though?" I asked him, seeing him grimace a bit as he scratched the back of his head.

"Not enough to get us through this city in one piece, but we can get by. We always do," He reassured me now, having me nod in agreement next to him. We were running low on our food, there was nothing really for us to be really concerned with since we were pulled from the main battle lines and now just breathing in and out for the sake of staying alive.

It was another day in our neighborhood.

* * *

"When was the last time you heard from Beth?" Lipton asked me as we both were sitting together in the main room that was CP, well, he was sprawled out on the lounge chair that they found for him and he was just trying to make himself busy once again. George was on the other side of the room with another soldier, the both of them going through the rations there and I was just keeping Lipton company since the rationing job was well taken care of.

"When I was in Paris before I crashed," I replied to him, seeing George look up at me for a solid few seconds when I mentioned the work, "Crash". He was still sore about what happened to me, almost like he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"I bet you miss her," He commented, coughing a bit and almost shaking the whole lounge chair he was in now as I reached over to grab his canteen that was on the floor.

"I do, everyday," I answered as he drank from his canteen, "I have no way of getting to write to her, and I don't know if I got a letter back from my brother about her."

"I'm sure the Air Force will transfer any letters to you as soon as they can," He reassured me in his raspy tone.

"I know, it's just hard being away from her this long and after what happened to me…"I trailed off, not wanting to talk about that subject since it was already sore for some of my friends in Easy: Shifty, Doc, Joe Liebgott, and Bull. They all hated what happened to me, Joe and Doc the most really since they both were really agitated that I had to go through something like that. But then again, they made sure I was going to do okay within the next period of war with them all.

"You've been doing well with your recovery, from what we all saw since you came with us to Noville," Lipton stated to me, not as a question, but as a statement to have me gaze at him from my spot on the lounge chair.

"Thank you, sir." I thanked him kindly, yet he was giving me the look of both a leader and someone who genuinely cared about my well-being. It made me think that I was going to have a heart to heart with my father.

"Honestly though, Adaline. You didn't have to come back with us if you didn't want to. Why did you?" He asked, not sounding any way mean at all, more curious than aggravated about me coming back to Easy. I thought about it since no one really asked if I wanted to be back with Easy and just go to Paris again once I had the chance. I would have gone back to Paris, back to where I knew nothing was really going to happen and I had a sense of stability. But it wouldn't have felt right since I knew Easy was so close to touch and yet I would have been wiped away from them again within an instant.

"You boys were beyond kind and good to me since I was transferred to Camp Toccoa, sir. There was no sense of camaraderie for me in the Air Force, and I'm just glad to have some kind of acceptance amongst men here in the war." I explained to him calmly now and with a shrug of my shoulders, already remembering all of the times we were talking to one another either near my planes or in the mess hall. I grew to know them, some more than others, and they too wanted to get to know me. It felt nice considering I had no real kind of love like that from the Air Force, the same kind of family-like atmosphere between strangers whom never met before.

"Well, we're glad you decided to come back and work with us," he commented to me with his kindness there on his sick but war face. I smiled back, already feeling back at home with the men since it was going to be more permanent now than before when I was just going in and out of their world for mere moments at a time.

"Here you go, Sergeant Lipton, I got you a blanket." George said, breaking the silence as he was walking over from his area with a thick army blanket within his hands. As soon as he was going to place the blanket over him, another sound of footsteps were heard coming into the room now, all of us looking over to see it was that it was Webster, the very soldier whom I haven't seen in months, since October at Crossroads. He was wounded in the battle, shot in the leg and then to the hospitals and for rehab, and now he was back with Easy. He looked more clean cut than the rest of us, more rested and more at peace. I would think he would be glad to be back, but something in his face was telling me something else.

"Hey, look who it is. Nice dig, huh?" George asked him.

"Yeah. Sgt. Lipton, you feeling alright?" Webster asked him with his cool tone.

"He's got Pneumonia." George explained to Webster as he was dropping the blanket over Lipton's legs and Lipton trying to avoid getting hit in the bead.

"Sorry to hear that." Webster said in a sad manner now.

"What are you sorry for? He's alive, he's got a couch, a goddamn blanket. He's snug as a bug." George said in almost a snort to him now as Webster looked over at me a grinned. I smiled at him.

"Good to see you, Adaline," Webster said to me kindly.

"You as well, Web. Glad to see you back," I explained, thinking that I was the only one who was a small ray of kindness to him since he looked like he was glowing because of how I talked to him. He looked back at Lipton, bag over his shoulder again.

"Sgt. Malarky said to check if I should be in 2nd platoon." Webster explained.

"Have a seat, Webster. We'll get you situated," Lipton told him softly as Webster got his spot near the broken down piano, sitting uncomfortably now since he could tell this was an awkward place to be in.

"How long have you been sick?" Webster asked him, trying to make small talk.

"Long enough," Lipton merely answered, then hearing none other than another set of steps within the room now as George was walking over to sit next to me near Lipton now. We all looked, George looking a but more agitated now as he was standing near me, almost touching my jacket with his fingers. Another soldier walked in, but not a person we have seen before, and he looked more clean-cut than anything, making me cringe a bit just looking at him now as he eyed al of us at once. Not only was he clean cut, he was young looking too, younger than me maybe.

"Is this Company CP for Easy?" He asked with a ring to his voice.

"Yes, sir." Webster said back to him.

"As you were," He said to him, yet none of us moved out as he continued to talk, "I'm Lt. Jones, I'm looking for Captain Spiers."

"He's on his way, sir. Why don't you sit down," Lipton asked him in a suggestion. Jones walked into the room now with his helmet now off and under his arm and we were still eyeing him. But then he looked eyes with me, almost stumbling a bit and I grinned at him kind since the last thing I wanted to do was to be seen as a bitch in front of someone whom I just met.

"This is Sergeant Adaline O'Malley, a transfer from the American Air Force. She's in charge of transportation with this company," Lipton introduced him to me, seeing him give me a short smile and then I heard George shift behind me a bit, almost pressing into me slightly from where I was sitting. I wanted to tell George, somehow communicate with him to back off and not have something happen to him all because of me.

"Pleasure to meet you." He said to me, trying to be courteous but I could tell he was still thrown off by me and why I was there.

"Same to you, sir." I said to him calmly now as Lipton spoke up again.

"Can you grab me a coffee?" Lipton asked one of the privates that were walking across the room, Lipton then looking at Jones now, "You want a coffee?"

"No thank you," Jones replied.

"Okay, one for me and one for Sergeant O' Malley," Lipton instructed the private as I was about to protest on the coffee invitation,"You look a bit sleepy over there always."

"Thanks, Lip." I thanked him, feeling George slip his hand not my shoulder now in reassurance and in a peaceful manner, "I think I'm going to go and take a load off for a few hours since I sent the trucks back after the patrol."

"You deserve a load off any who," Lipton said to me as Jones looked over at Webster.

"What platoon are you in?" He asked.

"We're about to find out," Webster said back to him in return now as Captain Spiers walked in now, looking at both Lipton and I before moving his eyes over to the Lieutenant with careful eyes.

"Cap. Spiers, this is Lt. Jones," Lipton introduced him, hoping it would be some kind of nice greeting now but Spiers looked over at him with a stern look on his face, no longer at Jones.

"Listen, for Christ's sake, would ya go in the back, back there and shack up? There are beds back there and fresh sheets," Spiers explained to Lipton now, whom sadly smiled and nodded his head.

"I will, sir. Just try and make myself useful, sir," Lipton reassured him as I shot up from my spot near him and standing there in the room. George looked over at me now with a hint of concern there as I was about to go out of the room.

"I'll see you guys later, gotta go and check up on the trucks from the patrol." I said to him, both Lipton and Spiers now as it seemed like I was trying to avoid the people in the room there since it felt like I was about to be swallowed up within a hole beneath my feet.

"You alright, Sgt. O' Malley?" Spiers asked me now, no longer focusing on the Sick Lipton or even the brand new Lieutenant Jones for that matter. He was looking at me, a bit on the concerned side now as I gave him a short nod and a small smile.

"I'm fine, sir. I just need to go and get some work done with the trucks." I said to him now, hopefully, that was enough for him to leave me be. He nodded his head, yet he knew something else was going on there as I was just, once again, trying to get our of there and find my own space and mind again. I moved down the room a bit now and over to the door. It was getting hard to breathe, and I had no idea why it was hard for me to be in the room with those men. Maybe it was because things changed with all the men, their hearts hardening and this backs turning away from what they thought was once war and right, or the fact that I still felt out of place there with all of the men around me.

I just needed space again.

* * *

As the day was coming to a close, the other didn't make an attempt to find me to make sure I was okay. I knew they were trying to let me have a few hours or so alone since I had so real reason to be around them since they had their own tasks and their own jobs. As for me, I was just in charge of the trucks and jeeps. It was no real job if I thought about it, and I knew Sink did that just to keep me with the men and make sure I had a real place to stay. I should be happy that I was going to stay there, with a group that was safe enough, but then again I wasn't.

"Found you," I looked behind me to see Captain Nixon there, standing at the doorway now with a small grin on his face.

"Hello, sir." I said to him from my spot at the window, moving away from it since what I was looking at all of the boys going over to the showers they set up for them.

"I wanted to come by and see if you were willing to start your pistol shooting lessons," He explained, the both of us standing in the middle of the room with all of the makeshift and ruined furniture that was in there, "Dick thinks you should practice now before we go out on our patrol tonight."

"Sounds good, sir," I replied to Nixon.

"Yeah you seem like you need something to distract you since that lieutenant came into Easy." Nixon said in a hint go annoyance when that lieutenant was mentioned in our conversation. I could tell he was no big fan of the new officer in our company, and I was still on the fence about him really.

"He seems like he's getting along with everybody, doesn't he?" I asked him, almost a bit bitterly now as he raised an eyebrow at me. I was kind of shock on how I was talking, it was not how I would usually talk at all considering how I am usually with the others in Easy. This was a brand new kind of personality that was coming through over me.

"Wow, looks who's coming into her own now," Nixon commented to me, having me sigh and shake my head in defeat.

"That sounded rude and not me at all," I confessed, feeling bad about it since it was Nixon of all people that I snapped at and sounded more bitter than anything. Nixon was a bitter type, but not the same bitter as Cobb. His bitter, on the other hand, was more towards how he was supposed to take orders from people and sometimes he would go against them, that or turn a head away from it all.

"No, it's fine by me." He reasoned with me, but once again I shook my head.

"It not by me…." I stopped before I went off on another rant, seeing him eye me in shock now as I cleared my throat and tried to finish my sentence with dignity, "…sir."

"Adaline, it's really okay." He said to me in more of a sincere tone than anything, gesturing out the door with his hand there by his side, "Come on, let's go practice." I walked over to the door now, not wanting to talk about it anymore really and how I too was having a rough time trying to get through the war after all that happened to me. I had to keep going, I had to keep staying alive at all costs and not to lose my brain or my mind.

And it all started with target practice.

* * *

"Try it again," I aimed the pistol with my right hand, shooting right at the empty glass bottles that Nixon set up for me now as he was standing on the side there and watching with his eyes now. I was trying to focus on the shooting practice that I had, let alone try and make myself a better soldier now than a pilot since I was no longer going to fly a plane anytime soon. I only wondered how this was going to look with the others in Easy. But it was going to be answered soon now as I saw some of the Easy Company soldiers, little by little, walking over to watch me do my target practice.

"Don't be stiff in the arm," Nixon explained to me as I took another shot, cursing under my breath now as I was looking at the target with my eyes. My hair was flowing in a messy french braid, my combat uniform was stained a bit from the dirt now as we were shooting in a courtyard with ruined buildings around us both. The buildings go up to five stories now, and most of the walls were blown off and Easy men were sitting on the edges now, watching me in interest.

"There you go, Sergeant." Nixon said to me in a grin as I got the edge of a target, hearing the glass shatter now as I looked at the pistol in my hand now. This was not what I bargained for, not what I signed up for really. It felt surreal, almost like I was changing into a new person that I was not ready to change into. I had to pause and stare at the pistol now with wide eyes.

"Sergeant?" Nixon asked, seeing me pause and look a the gun like I was looking at a ghost now. I didn't care if I was looking like a freak in front of Nixon and the other soldiers that were watching me now. All I was caring about was how this was shaping me and how I was playing my role in the war.

"Never thought I would shoot one of these." I said him in a low tone as he walked over to see what was going on with me. He at first was confused, but then he could read it on my face and how I was standing there in front of him. He placed one hand, very carefully and gently on my arm that was holding up the gun now and he helped me lower it to my side, his eyes still on me and watching every move.

"Don't overthink it," He recommended to me, "You are doing what you have to do in this war."

"To kill people." I finished for him, seeing him shake his head.

"Not for you," I looked over at him now and seeing him give me his serious dark eyes now but they were not going to belittle me, "You are not mean to be a soldier out here with us, and we all know that. But this," he pointed to the pistol in my hand now, "This is meant for you to protect yourself. Nothing more or less."

"You think I can handle this?" I asked him, unconvinced on what he was saying about me merely needing this for defense. I wasn't like the others, I was not trained with a gun or trained to kill anyone. This was not my own kind of field and here I was, being thrown into it.

"I think so, and so do the rest of the men looking at you now," He answered, having me look up to where he was gesturing. Most, if not all, of Easy Company was watching at this point from there random spots along the building ruined walls, watching with powdered looks and glances right at me. I could see their faces: Bull, Malarky, Shifty, Babe, Garcia, Rameriez, Hobbler, Cobb, Webster, Joe Liebgott, Spina, Doc, Christenson and Perconte were all watching me and not showing any kind of unpleasantness on their faces. The one face that got me though, that made this feel a bit better, was George.

He was sitting next to Perconte, watching me with worry on his face then as he was perched on the edge of the building and his boots hanging off the wall. How was he thinking of me now then? I wanted to talk to him about it, see what he was thinking and know how he was feeling about it, but that would have to wait for another time.

"Now, let's try again."

* * *

When I was done with my practice, I was left with the pistol on my hip and the men coming up to me and saying that they thought I did a good job, slaps on the back and handshakes. Babe even grinned from ear to ear when he gave me a hug, telling me I was a natural shooter and gunslinger. It all sounded nice hearing it from them, since they could tell I was a bit on the edge with how I was now having a gun in m possession, but they are kind enough to let me know that I did a great job, all in their own ways.

George was the last one to reach me, and we were once again alone in a room when the others were long gone and they went back to CP. It was nice to no longer be under the microscope of all the men in Easy when they are watching me and seeing how I was shooting a gun. But now it was just George and I, and within a few seconds of the both of us looking at each other, George engulfed me in his arms and kissed my head as I just hugged him. I was just glad to have that kind of anchor that George was able to give me, a shield from the rest of the war that I was missing for the past few months.

"I think you did good," He whispered to me in almost a murmur now as we were still hugging in the middle of the room, "You think you did well?"

"It feels weird, holding a gun now," I replied back to him as we were facing each other now. He grinned, having me see that warmth that he had about him soak into me as well. He moved my stray hair from my eyes and his fingers traced the thin scar lines from the crash.

"I never wanted you to hold a gun in my opinion," George confessed, having me look at him in confusion now since he praised me seconds ago, "But now you can protect yourself."

"Like I couldn't before," I commented back to him now as I found my own arms around his neck and his hands on my waist again, a comfortable place for the both of us in his cold and gray kind of place in the war.

"You have always been to survive anything was thrown at you, which is why I love you." He explained now, having me grin and kiss him softly. This was new for the both of us, using the L word on each other and being fine with it. I wasn't afraid to use it since he was the one who used to physically on me first. I only used that word on paper, but he used it on his lips and towards me like it was the best thing he has ever said in the world. And for me, it was the same too.

"I love you too, George Luz."


	22. Chapter 22

"You need a holster, and uh…." George said to me as we were back in the buildings, having me usher me over to the rations area and he was going to grab me some supplies for me now with my new title. I cracked my neck as he was looking through the spare supplies that they had rummaged around. After I had my own reverts shooting session, I heard another soldier was killed, all because he was carrying potatoes in a sack and nothing more to it. Doc knew he was dead before he was called to the scene, and it felt more numbing to think about it in that nature that anything.

"Here you go, the only one with a bearable holster that you can hold onto," George said to me as he handed me the pistol holster, having me look at it at first before starting to place it around my hips now, "Let me get you some bullets to put in your pockets."

"I doubt I'll be shooting anytime soon," I reminded him as he chuckled.

"Better to be sad and sorry at this point in the war," George countered back at me in a reminder too as he placed some bullets within my plan now, having me shove them in my combat jacket pocket and smirk at him.

"You have a baseball bat in there?" I asked with hope there heard in my voice. George shook his head in a smile as he walked over to me now, almost close enough where he can touch my fingers with his own. I only wished we had no more time to just…be together alone and just laugh together, talk together, and just be together without anything else tearing us away from one another.

"I'll keep an eye out for you, and don't forget you do have a decent pair of fists," He said to me in a grin, his hair was moving in front of his eyes again now as I gazed there at the shade.

"You need a trim of this hair," I noted to him, having me watch him flick it away from his eyes with such pomace that I chuckled, "Maybe Liebgott can do it for you."

"You don't think I look fabulous with this look?" He asked me in a mocked manner now, almost like he was hurt by my comment to him. I smiled at him, shaking my head yet I was giggling from his antics with me.

"I think I've seen better from a magazine meant for women," I joked back with him, watching him now as he eyeing me up and down with that glint I remember from so long ago. Something made me feel instantly shy again when he would look at me that same way that made me fall for him so long ago.

"Have you lost your shyness now, Adaline O'Malley?" He asked me, almost in a coy manner now to me.

"The war does plenty of things to a person, and one of them is being shy," I explained, yet watching him made all of the butterflies come back within my stomach again now, having em remember how we used to be together when we were back in the states, before we jumped on a plane and fell into the depth of war. I have missed those moments with him, moments of pure peace and pure innocence.

"Please don't tell me that you lost all of it now," He asked, giving me a pondering look.

"I don't think so, You bring it out in me the most," I murmured back to him, seeing him look down at our joined hands there in the middle of the both of us, "You seem to have that effect from me."

"Only for you," He replied back in a softer manner, hearing another bomb or explosion go off within a mile or so of us. George instantly wrapped his arms around me, having me be squeezed into his embrace as the building shook a bit from the mass amount of explosion. I looked over at him now in shock as he was looking at the window there, in case something else was going to happen.

"What was that?" He asked, still pressed to me and his arms around me in almost a protective manner now as I looked over at him. He seemed so scared, and there I was just shocked to see him act like this around me. I made me smile as he looked at me with fear there.

"You okay there, George?" I asked him, almost playfully now.

"You weren't scared?" He questioned, sounding shocked as to see me so calm and collective there in his arms when I should be in fear from almost dying yet again.

"Why should I be scared?" I asked him with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Because that was an explosion that could have killed us." He answered back, yet I shook my head now.

"I don't think it was that scary," I admitted to him, how the shock was no longer there for me to see in his eyes but amusement again as he let out a shaky breath that was more of laughter than anything, "Unless you think I can't handle a small explosion."

"Well…" he trailed off, having me playfully shove him and he released me with a warm smile then and then leaning over to kiss me softly against the lips, "I can't help but worry about you since you're not flying anymore and you're with us."

"Don't be worried," I reassured him as I snuck in another kiss on his lips, "I won't be anywhere near a battle, just near the trucks and jeeps. Besides, I doubt they are ever going to let me shoot this thing in real battle." I tapped my pistol in its holster on my hip for good measure. I could see where he was coming from though, knowing that since I was not going to be near the Air Force and only on the ground, and I was not properly trained for anything involving battle, I could be a dead giveaway for a target. I just had to be sure that I was going to keep my head straight and not lose focus.

That would be hard for me to do since I was still within the arms of a young man.

* * *

We were all standing or sitting around the main table of what seemed to be the dining room of some apartment, most of us were waiting to hear what was going to happen tonight on the so-called patrol that was going to happen on the other side of the river. Most of them didn't really want to go, and since they were already peeved from the new lieutenant already coming into our territory and way of life, they were not in the brightest mood at all while more and more soldiers were coming into the room, including Grant and Sisk.

"What?" Cobb asked Popeye as I was standing next to Shifty who had a cigarette lit in his mouth and he inhaled.

"Call you guys too?" Popeye asked Alley now who was standing behind a chair with an agitated look on his face.

"Who's in charge of this bullshit?" Alley asked, looking at all of us now, then looking over his shoulder at Lieutenant Jones who was quiet the whole time in the opening of the dining room.

"Not him," someone answered.

"If he ain't', it's you Chuck," Babe said to Chuck as he was sitting in front of me next to Grant, "Or Shifty or Mo."

"That would be better." Joe Liebgott said in a grumble under his breath now in his chair as he was chewing on something, then eyeing at me and I nodded at him once. I was hoping and praying that this was going to end up well as we heard Lieutenant Jones finally speak up for the first time since we all together within that room.

"Ten-hut!" He said, all of us reluctantly getting up from our spots and seats.

"Jesus." Joe grumbled again s we all got up.

"As you were." Winters replied to us now as he walked in with Nixon right behind him, the both of them walking over to the other side of the room and we all sat back down.

"We've assembled 15 of you for this prisoner snatch tonight, 0100." Winters explained to the group. We've assembled four rubber boats to get you across the river. Lieutenant Jones here, as a ranking officer, will be an observer, Sergeant Martin here will lead the patrol, in Sergeant Malarky's place" When he said this, I saw Martin looking over at Webster now to gave him a glare for even looking at Jones, in which I saw Webster flounder a bit and I felt a bit bad for him.

"The whole battalion will cover your withdrawal, we identify targets, planned fire. You hear these whistles, you open up, don't blow them until you're in the boats." Winters ended the rundown of the whole thing to all of us.

"If the house turns up to be empty, sir?" Martin asked after he was given the whistles.

"It won't, but we know it's an outpost and we want it destroyed so lay down some demo on a time delay. Move fast, but carefully. Put a perimeter around the house, once that 's in place, get your rifle grenades in the window, and the assault team in position. Remember, it's about prisoners, don't pop the firs thing that moves. Clear?" he asked the men, mostly the men that are.

"Yes, sir," They all replied.

"You pick your assault team?" Winters asked Martin.

"McClung, Sisk, Cob, Garcia, and Webster…" When he mention Webster, his voice rang a bit on the agnation side and Webster looked like once again he was kicking in the groin more than anything, "The rest of you guys, a base of fire with Sergeant Grant. You speak German, right, Webster?"

"Yeah…a little bit." He replied back smoothly now, trying to remain cool and collective with his fire he was getting from the men.

"Good, that's my team, sir." Martin replied to Winters. After Winters asked questions and got nothing in return, he walked out after an unofficial attempt of the ten hut for us to follow. Hardly anyone did it now, and I looked over at Shifty who gave me worried eyes about the whole thing. I was a bit worried too, yet it was supposed to be easy enough to get there and back. Something felt off about it, though, something felt wrong. I was too deep in thought about it when Joe some up again.

"A little German?" Joe asked, looking over at me briefly before he rearranged himself in his chair, "His German's a good as mine."

* * *

"You have to go?" George asked me now as I was walking with him over to the jeep, seeing it parked on the side of the building now and Doc was already there, loading his satchel now on the top of the jeep hood. After that no to great awkward meeting with the rest of the men, I was assigned to drive Doc over to the local hospital and help him to get more supplies that were needed for the men. Doc was running low, and since there was no need for a medic on the patrol, he was going to go to the hospital and make himself busy.

"He needs someone to drive him over there, and I have nothing else to do tonight," I said back to him, the both of us walking shoulder to shoulder and almost in sync with our steps, "You going to help with the recovery fire?"

"Yep, but mostly just making sure no one loses their fingers over there on that island," He said with a shrug of his own shoulders now as we were getting closer to the jeep and I could feel his hand against my own and how badly he wanted to hold my hand.

"Look," I said to him, the both of us stopping and facing each other as Doc was now hopping in the passenger seat of the jeep, "The way I'm looking at it is that I'm going to be in the way if I stay here tonight. I'm not going over the river, and I'm not fitted to help in any kind of firing that is coming soon, so I need to do what I do best: drive."

"Well, drive and make me feel better about myself," He said back to me, having me roll my eyes.

"Don't start that again," I warned, but he shook his head.

"I won't because you're making me feel far less of man from just that one Goddamn smile of yours," He admitted to me, having me smirk and feel the tint of blush there on my cheeks from that one sentence that he gave me. I looked around us, seeing that no one was looking in our direction or about to witness what I wanted to do to him. So I leaned in, grazing my lips against his stubbled cheek and then pulling away before I knew someone was going to find out what I did. When I locked eyes with him, he looked like he was beaming and could light up the whole area that we were in.

"You're gonna be the real death of me, Adaline O'Malley." He said to me, having me see all of his teeth then in that smile that he gave me.

"You keep saying that," I teased him, sighing and giving him one las smile before I knew I had to go and do my own work with Doc, "I'll see you soon, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it," He replied back to me, making me wink at him before I turned on my heel and walk away from him, not wanting to have another round of emotions come over me. I was walking just fine, over to where Doc was and who was looking connected where he was, when I heard George call out to me once more time from his spot in the middle of the muddy road.

"Quite being so great, will ya?" He asked, his voice carried into the small area where a couple of others who were walking by looked at me now as I looked back at George, shaking my head with a grin plastered on my face now as he smiled back. He stayed there on the road as I looked back ahead again and went over to the jeep now, Doc following me with his eyes and as I sat in the driver's seat, he cleared his throat.

"You know where to go?" He asked me.

"I know where to go, thank you Doc." I thanked him, looking over at him and see him fiddle a bit with his satchel. He still looked like he has been better days, much better days since he looked like he could fall asleep anywhere.

"Doc," I said to him, watching him shoot his dark eyes over to me from his satchel, "How long do we have until we have to be back here at CP?"

"About 5 hours." he replied, shrugging his shudders, "Winters doesn't want us to be back until night comes,"

"Then maybe we should grab some food," I suggested, shrugging my shudders as I said this to him, "Even grab a bed at the hospital to take a nap in."

"You serious?" Doc asked me as I started the jeep, having me nod at him now as he had his mouth open at the very thought of us not doing a lot of hard work. It was not like Doc to slow down, not like him at all and I felt like he needed a break really.

"Come on, Doc," I said to him in almost a pleading tone, placing my hands on the wheel now as I was waiting for his reaction, "We need a break these days, and I don't want to have this break with the guys when they have soothing up their ass." He eyed me, a small look on his face that showed that she was agreeing with me. I was grinning at him now as I got the jeep to lurch forward.

"Come on, let's kill some time."

* * *

"Let me see that picture," We both were sitting on the hood of the jeep, and after we ran our errands and got our rations for Easy, we decided to take it easy and snag a loaf of bread and some milk for the both of us to eat between each other. We still had tow hours left before we were going to head back to company CP, and by now we were both content on relaxing with each other's company.

"Here," I said to him, handing him the most recent picture that I had of Beth that was about back in November now, since I have still yet to receive a letter from home before the crashing of my plane. She was taller, still holding her figure of being lanky and her hair was styled in ringlets and half of it pulled back with a ribbon. Just holding onto that picture, and that picture still surviving the crash with a few scraps there and the corners bent, 9it made me feel better and a constant reminder of what I had to wait for me when I came home from the war.

"Do you miss her?" Doc asked as he was holding my picture, analyzing my daughter's image within his own brain as I took a piece from the bread within my fingers and popping it in my mouth.

"Everyday, more these days," I admitted to him now as he looked over at me, having me give him a small smile there, "Sometimes I dream of her and if she remembers me."

"Why shouldn't she remember you?" Doc asked me, sounding a bit off by it.

"I just…I worry that she would forget what I look like since I haven't seen her in about 3 or 4 years," I explained to him thoughtfully, looking down at the pieces of bread within my fingers. It sounded petty, more like a pathetic cry for help, but then again I was trying to tell myself over and over that she won't forget me, that she will remember who I am when I come home m no matter how much I changed both physically and emotionally.

"She'll remember you," Doc said to me to bring me back to reality, having me watching him as he crossed his ankles on the jeep hood and folded his hands on his lap, "I know she will."

"Do you?" I asked, finding it hard for me to believe him.

"From what you told me about her, and from what i know about you, she'll remember you and she's waiting for you to come home," Doc explained to me kindly and he gave me his small smile that he hardly uses on people and those in Easy.

"You're a pearl of wisdom these days," I praised him, having me see him shake his head and have me notice the slight pink tip of his nose within the gray cold atmosphere around us.

"Good thing you're not the only one who calls me that," He stated, having me look at him in confusion now as he was saying this like a gentle hint. He placed his hand on his jacket, near the opening and where the inside pocket was, I could see a small glimpse of a letter there and I grinned at him. I thought I was the one that was secretive within this company, but Doc was better at me apparently since he was never one to let his lips slip.

"You're in love, Doc?" I asked him, seeing him just grin at me now as his fingers touched the latter now without thinking about it.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, having me shove him with my arm and hearing him chuckle.

"That look that you have, not to mention the letter in your pocket, " I explained, pointing to the letter now as seeing him watch where my finger was pointing, "You're in love. I could see it on your face.

"But how can you tell?" He pondered with me, having me think about it for one moment before I could answer him. How could I know that he was in love? How could I even tell from afar and from all of the conversations we have had in the past, not to mention how he would act himself deep in thoughts or with each other.

"Because I'm in love, and I know how it feels," I answered him wholeheartedly from the simple fact that it was true: I was in love. I knew how it felt, how it made me talk to people or walk from one place to another, how love made me shift everything I thought about my life into another spectrum. Everything was now different and now raw and real, all because eI took the chance on another human being who saw something in me that was good enough to fight for.

"What's her name?" I asked him out of curiosity, seeing him have a small smirk on his face as he was thinking about it.

"Vera," He replied, and the way he made it roll off his tongue sounded so natural, even the tone made me see that it lifted his own spirits for the ground, "Her name is Vera."

And just like that, I saw Doc in a new light.

* * *

The ride back home was peaceful at first, the both of us continue within our own thoughts floating in and out in our heads. Doc told me about Vera, how they met in England when he had one night off and they were inseparable the rest of the time that we were in England. They even talked about getting married, since they were very much in love with each other, and yet he was not going to tell the others about it since he was too nervous to talk about her in front of the men. It was nice to see that he was going okay himself with someone to fight for, and I secretly hoped that I would meet her someday.

While we were on the road, I got the gut feeling that the boys were going to be prepped for the patrol tonight though it was still hours away from it actually going to happen. I was worried, one again, for the boys who were going to go across the river yet we were told that it was going to be an easy to and from across the river. They know what they're doing, so why am I freaking out like a mother hen?

It was ridiculous and annoying.

When we pulled back over to CP, no one was outside, not one soul. I figured that they would all be ready within one of the basements nearby, so I parked the jeep along the CP building on the backside. When Doc and I hopped out of the jeep, I couldn't hear anything around us expect for the chilly wind that was pulling through the town and only seeing a small flicker of light coming from the street lights that were still working. We both started walking down the street a bit, I thought I heard something nearby that sounded like someone walking, small footsteps near the end of the street where it was going to curve into the courtyard. I didn't know whether or not if it was because I was too tired, not getting enough sleep to get me through a single day, or the fact that was war itself was making tricks within my mind.

But I swore I saw her. Beth.

She was standing there, in the middle of the road now of the damaged cobbled street and she was watching me with her gorgeous eyes and her ringlet hair flowing in the wind. She looked the very same way she did when I left her last in America, how her round face and petite frame made me want to cry. This had to be some kind of sick trick, but how she was looking at me and standing there in the road, in her cotton dress and a red coat over her made me think that it was real. So real. She was just watching me now in wonder, like she was expecting me to run over there and scoop her into my arms. But she had to be some kind of illusion, and I felt Doc grab my arm now to get my attention again.

"Adaline?" He asked, sounding so far away now as I was looking back at my daughter, thinking for a split second that she was really there, in the middle of some town in France, the way she looked and how she was breathing there in the street, her shoes on the cobbled street and her hands touching her jacket slightly, it looked so real it was sickening. I gasped out, almost started to shake there as Doc was still holding my arm and he called to me again.

"Adaline?" His call for me was softer, more concerned now as I was pointing over to my daughter, or the ghost of my daughter.

"Something's not right…" I said out loud, hearing how easy my voice was now as I was still staring at her and thinking that I was being tricked by God or someone so cruel, "I'm seeing…I"m seeing Beth in front of me."

"Adaline…she's not there.." Doc tried to reason with me, lacing our fingers together with his spare hand and now I could hear it in his voice that he was growing scared of me now as I was having some kind of mirage in front of me that I was falling for.

"The why am I seeing her there?" I asked him bitterly now, she was still watching me, as if asking me to come to her with that perfect smile she had, and those eyes that I knew belonged to her father…to Adam…

"Listen to my voice," Doc commanded me now, his hold on my hand was a vice grip now as I was still staring in that direction with fear there, "You're tired and you haven't had a good enough time to sleep. I think you're losing energy and you're seein' things….keep listen' to me, okay?"

"Okay." I whispered back to him, feeling my heart breaking over again to know that this was all a show within my head now.

"Good, come on. We need to get you inside and in a bed now," He explained, starting to pull me towards him as I was still looking at the haunting image of my daughter. It was going to be impossible, most impossible for me too since my brain was still tricking me into thinking that she was really in front of me, close enough for me to touch her.

"I don't think I'm strong enough." I confessed to Doc almost on the verge of tears. I felt Doc walk over to me, almost pressing into me now with our joined hands in the middle of each other.

"I think you do, you can look way now," Doc reaffirmed me softly with his Louisiana accent a kind tone, "Beth is back home, back with your brother safe and sound, away from here and away from anything that is going to hurt her." I closed my eyes then, hearing his voice and how he was right. Beth was not there, nowhere near as close to being there and being in danger._ She was safe, she was home with my brother Aaron, and she was waiting for me to come home_. I chanted that whole speech within my head over and over, to make sure I and t right and I know it was good and true. When I opened my eyes, I sighed in defeat.

She was gone.

"Come on, Sergeant," Doc said to me, once again pulling me and having me follow him this time, "We're getting you into a bed and you're going to rest, okay?" I had no more strength left in me to just fight him and show him I was fine. I wasn't fine, I knew that. I was so far from behind home, anywhere near Beth or my family which broke my spirit, my body was no the same since I survived that plane crash which physically broke me, and the toll of the war was making me losing my sanity slowly but surely.

All in all, I was breaking down.

* * *

I woke up late into the night, seeing the wall in front of me now as I was breathing in and now from another small dream of Beth again, making the pain I was feeling under my cheat and hear my ribcage worse since I knew my mind was once again getting the best of me now. I was in my own room, away from the others since Doc practically threw me into the bed and told me to go to sleep before I could argue with him anymore. I didn't know what time it was, or if anyone else was in the apartment building that night for them to see me.

I reached down to grab my watch from where I left it on the floor, feeling in between my fingers as I heard a couple of taps on my door, very soft and careful. I grabbed the watching, trying to use the moonlight that was coming in the window there near my bunk and I saw that it was on a couple of minutes past midnight. Great.

"Adaline? You awake?" I heard George on the other side of the door, muffled by the wood that was separating us now as I looked over to where the door was. I tried to find my voice again, but George opened the door and poked his head in carefully and slowly. I saw his silhouette there, slowly coming into the room as the light of the hallway where he was from was coming in to hit me in the face.

"Hey, sweetheart." He said to me in a light manner as he closed the door behind him and walked over to where I was on my bunk, though I didn't have the heart to smile at him for calling me that term again. George walked over to the bunk, kneeling down carefully and keeping his eyes on me before crawling his way into the bunk with me.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, moving a bit for him to get comfortable there. He instantly wrapped his arms around me then, having me melt into his arms and place my head on his shoulder now and his fingers against my jacket.

"Doc told me what happened," He replied, having em cringe since he sounded a bit concerned, "I just…wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you." I replied, having no real heart to tell him off and have him leave me be. I just invited him in there with my atmosphere, since I would need to have someone to hold me down and make sure I was going to be okay. I knew this road was going to kill me eventually, whether within the next few days or even the next few years down the road when I was back home from the war. He just had to know there, how I was holding him and not pushing him away because of my own breakdown, that I was glad he was there for me.

"How long until they go on patrol?" I asked him with only a whisper.

"A couple of minutes," he murmured back to him, missing the side of my head now and having me snuggle into him a bit more, "Just go to sleep, Adaline."

And I did, within the arms of the man I loved.


	23. Chapter 23

There was a soft sound that woke me up from the sleep I was in, almost like a murmur in the distance as I looked from my spot. My head was still against George's chin, who was still asleep now with his arms around me and his own embrace keeping me warm. I hoped that it wasn't what I thought it was, so I waited there in hopes that I wouldn't hear it again. Something inside me of, I didn't know whether it was my gut instinct or the fact that I was still tired, but it was once again hurting there like something was wrong. Very wrong.

There it was again, but it was bolder and sharper. An explosion of gun rounds.

George woke up this time, looking above us at the ceiling and having me feel his hold one me tighten now as I looked over to the window. Flickers of light were peppering the sky now, having me groan now since I knew what that meant: it was the patrol.

They were in trouble.

"George, it's the patrol," I said to him, moving out of the bunk and away from George as I then got onto my feet, got my gravity back in check, and then running over to the window. We were on the leftist, on the other side of the river where we saw the island and what was going on. Guns were going off within seconds of each other, an assault fire happening there and it made me fear for the worst.

"Oh God," I said in horror as George joined me at the window now, seeing what was going on too and looking just as concerned and worried as I was then. It was not looking good in our favor, and I made me worry about the men who were on that island and who thought this was going to be easy.

"Adaline, I have to go," George said to me now in a hurry as I nodded in agreement. George had more obligation to be down there with the group than I did, and he leaned over to kiss my head to hold it there for a few seconds. I felt how hard he kissed me before he left and ran out of the room now, having me instantly now think of Doc anywhere he would be and if he needed some kind of help. I looked behind me at the open door, seeing how George left it ajar and the small flicker of light was coming in. I walked over to it now, then hearing a machine gun go off on our side of the river and I bolted down the hall, where would Doc be now?

Where was I meant to be?

I got to the ground floor of the building, bursting open the doors and feeling the cold smack me against my face now like a wrecking ball and I had to look around to see where I was and where I needed to go. The firing was louder now, coming from the left direction and having me instantly start running over there. Doc had to be there by now since he would be watching and waiting for something or someone to find him. I had to find him first as another round of machine gun fire from one of our buildings.

"Get them back over here, now!" Someone bellowed, having me run even faster to where the river was. I was skidding to a halt now as I saw the river in front of me with two boats coming back and our men inside of them. I sighed in relief, hearing more gunshots coming our way and someone calling out to me.

"Adaline! Get in here, quick!" I looked behind me to see it was Shifty who was coming over to where I was, grabbing my sleeve and the both of us we're running over to where he was taking us. I had no real reason to argue with him since he was trying to make sure I was safe and nowhere in combat. We both rushed over to the lobby level of the building, looking through the window now and Shifty pulling out his rifle to look through the scope and see what was happening.

"Are any of them hurt?" I asked him, knowing he had a better sight than me.

"Not from what I could see…not in the raft I'm looking at," He replied, shifting around a bit on his feet to look at the second raft now, "Someone looks wounded there…one of the privates I think."

"Where's Doc?" I asked him suddenly, thinking once again about my friend and where he might be in this whole situation.

"No idea," Shifty replied as we saw the two rafts land on our side, all of the men hopping out and getting over to the basement where I knew they were at earlier in the day prepping for the patrol. I wanted to run over there too, but from how the firing was still going on, it was not safe to venture out just yet.

"We have to get over there and see if they're okay," I explained to Shifty, yet he shook his head.

"Not yet, we don't know if it's safe or not," He countered back to me, having me curse under my breath. I hated waiting in here, it was almost like some kind of sick game to see who was going to die first and for me not to help them. But then again, I was no medic. I had no experience saving a person's life, and I wasn't a soldier either, not technically. I was the transportation officer, that was it. I only had my Goddamn pistol and a paranoid mind to keep me company then as the firing stopped and silence came over the whole area again. Both Shifty and I waited, not moving or saying a single word now as we were thinking something else was gong to happen, or someone was going toffee at the first thing that shifted in the night.

"Was that all of it?" I asked in a mere whisper.

"I think so," Shifty whispered back, slowly moving his scope from his eyes and placing his rifle down. We both looked at each other, having me see the small hint of panic there on his face as to not knowing what was going to happen next that night. I felt it too, and we had to find the others and make sure that they were okay.

We just had to.

* * *

Both Shifty and I walked down the street, Shifty with his rifle out and me mostly just holding onto the holster I was wearing and the pistol there as a safety feeling for me, and we went to find our way over to the basement that we knew the others would be in as their place to hide after they came back from the patrol. But as we got closer, the silence that was over us made it very clear that they were not having a positive result as we found the doors leading to the basement. Slowly, we crept inside, Shifty right behind me as we descending a few steps and found ourselves in the room now with the men.

Well, all the men and one dead body on top of a pile of bricks.

It was a private, and his face was both melted and distorted with no life left in him, his body was laid on the bricks like a puppet with no strings attached: worthless and useless. The others in the room, both Easy men, and the German captives were silent now as most of Easy was watching the dead body like they were all punched in the gut. It made me look over at Doc, seeing him kneel next to the private's body and looking disappointed in himself than anything as we locked eyes. I could see the sadness, the pain there that he could not save him at all as he then reluctantly looked at Babe. Babe drew out a shaky breath to turn his head over to some of the others and shake it, showing that it was true that the young man was dead. Martin grabbed the blanket from Sisk's shoulders, walked over to the body, and covered it without a second thought.

"We…we need to move the body," Martin said to the group calmly now, not raising his voice or sounding like a leader, he too sounded just like a regular human being. No one moved for a moment before I cleared my throat.

"I'll get my jeep and we can…we can take him out of here." I explained, the men looking at me as I breathed out a shallow and careful breath. It was the least I could do for them all really, in my mind it was as I was about to go out of the room when Doc piped up.

"I'll come with you." He said, getting up from his spot and walking over to me, the both of us walking out of the room now and still hearing nothing from the men. I thought I wanted to talk to Doc and see how he was doing because of the frustrated look I was seeing on his face and how he looked like he was about to vomit. It just didn't feel like the right time for a question like that.

As soon as we were outside the building, out in the open air, I heard him breathe in deeply and then gasp out, like he was punched so hard that air was no easy for him. I whirled around, seeing him clench his fists at his sides and his breathing getting shallow, falling to his knees before keeling over. I fell down with him, thinking he was about to have a heart attack there and I grabbed his arms, feeling him lean over to rest his head against my shoulder and he started to weep.

He was sobbing in my arms.

"I have you, Doc," I whispered to him, wrapping my arms around him and feeling him clutch me back. We were the only ones out there on the street now, last least that's what I taught for a few seconds until I heard another set of footsteps running over to us. I looked over Doc's shoulder, whom was still occupied with the tears from his eyes and I saw it was Liebgott. I knew he wasn't a part of the patrol team, but I had no idea where he was and if he was okay. He looked petrified to hear crying out on the street, seeing me hunched over and wrapping my embrace within Doc now as he stood in front of me, about to ask if everything was okay or if someone was hurt. But I stopped him by holding up a hand to him, silencing him within a second.

"You're okay," I kept whispering to Doc since it felt like he was not going to have need silence anytime soon with someone dying in front of him and Doc not able to save them, "You did the best you can do for him, it was not your fault."

"Shit," Joe muttered, hearing what I was telling Doc but I kept going with my talk with Doc and still hearing him sob, "I'm gettin' Babe and Spina." He ran off before I could tell him to leave us be, sprinting in a fierce bolt now back to the basement as I stroke Doc's raven black hair.

"Breathe in and out, Doc, you hear me? In and out." I repeated the words into his hair now as he was slowly coming out from his sobbing, but the tears were still there staining my jacket and neck now as we were still holding each other on the ground. Doc was going to break sometime, and this was the moment that not only broke him but ripped him into a million pieces without a second thought to it. He was always so strong and grounded, knew what to do when someone was hurt, and yet now he was no idea what to do next. He was getting himself lost.

"I have you, Doc," I promised him, his fingers were still digging into my jacket and his body close to mine now, "I won't let you go, I promise."

* * *

"You can head out, Adaline, I can take care of him from here," I was still hesitant to leave Doc there in his bunk as Babe walked in and instantly sat next to him, like a protective brother and he looked over at me with the same look of weariness there that I had. I got Doc to get up from the street and over to where he was sleeping, still holding him close to me now to block his face from the others who were coming out of the basement and seeing what was going on. I knew they knew it was him, but I still wanted him to feel safe enough.

Babe and Spina rushed over as soon as I got Doc safely in the building, having me explain to them both was he was not dealing with the death in the best manner that he used to in the past. I then got one of the privates to go and grab the jeep to take it to the basement and get the body, since I had no real heart to leave my friend yet. Winters and Nixon were notified that their best medic had a nervous breakdown and they were going to come by and check on him later, after Martin was going to report to them both about what happened with the private.

His name was Jackson, and he was only 20 years old. A mere child.

"Adaline," Babe called out to me again, having me look over at him now from where I was looking at Doc. He was still awake, no longer crying or sobbing or shaking, but still looking at the wall and just breathing in and out slowly and with hesitance. Babe was sitting there in the same chair I was sitting in for the past 15 minutes, and I saw the look of safeness on Babe's face and in his eyes. He too was close to Doc, he knew about Doc more than the others. If anyone was qualified to bring Doc back to earth from where he was, it was Babe.

"I can handle this," He said to me in his warm musky tone, having me give him a warm smile now and slowly move to go out of the room now, hearing Babe now talk to Doc softly, "You're gonna be okay there, Doc. Try and get some shut eye, okay?"

I got out of the room and stood there in the hallway, rubbing the dirt off my face and rearranging the jacket I as wearing then when George was walking down the hallway and watching me try and compose myself again. It was hard to do so since Doc was a close friend of mine and my own heart was hurting from what happened to him. I had no place within the patrol, and yet it felt like I was there with the men the whole time and I saw what they saw: another fallen soldier.

"Hey," George said to me, standing very close to me now and having me watch him as he gave me a half-hearted smile, "You okay?"

"I'm worried about Doc," I admitted, "I've never seen him like that before."

"None of us has," George added, nodding in agreement and then releasing a shaky breath, "But he'll be okay. He just needs rest is all."

"We all need it," I said to him, looking back at Doc's room one more time and thinking that something else was going to happen to him as I was not there. It wasn't just myself that was offering, not to mention Doc. We were all suffering from lack of sleep and lack of resources, and it was slowly eating us away now.

"Come on, let's lay down okay?" George asked me under his breath since other soldiers were walking up and down the hallway now, some of them going over to Doc's room to check up on him. I knew I did my part with Doc, so it was no longer needed for me to be there. I nodded in agreement, the both offs started to walk off together back to my room that I was staying in. I had to look out for myself now and how I was getting better for the sake of the Company.

George got the door open for the both of us as we walked into George's room now, having me see that there was a singular bed there in the middle of the room now, almost a queen sized bed and then some of George's things in the corner. It seems like he got the right bed compared to the others now as he walked over to shut the blinds over the window to shut us away from the world now.

"I figured my bed was bigger anyways since yours is so small…" George explained to me tentatively as he saw me looking at his bed. I grinned, for the first time within hours, I grinned at what he was saying and I looked over at him.

"I'm sure you were so cramped there." I joked, George cracking a smile and having em walk over to the bed, sitting on the top and feeling the springs underneath me. George came over and sat on the bed with me two, having em not really think about how we both were sitting so close together on a bigger bed. It never sunk into me, mostly because I was still too tired to think about it and still thinking about how bad Doc had it with this recent death on his hands. I ran my fingers in my hair, only stopping when I forgot that I had it in a braid and my hair was stuck there.

"Here, let me." George said, reaching over to grab the end of the braid and having me feel his fingers along my back, freezing at first before undoing the tie there. HIs fingers were weaving into my hair, moving the braids there and feeling some of my hair getting free little by little and I stayed silent, rethinking of all that was happening within the few hours of the patrol or even the night. I was only hoping that things for us were going to get better, smoother really since it felt so rocky and uneasy for us to swallow it all in.

George was up two here my neck was, having me feel the grazing of his fingers going against my back with such delicacy that it mad me shiver there on the bed, George instantly freezing his spot from how I reacted to our skins connecting. I didn't know why I shivered, whether it was from the cold there in the room and his skin was cold, or just because it was the two of us now in the room all alone, with nothing really to worry about since all was resolved, but it felt different now in the air, different and more intimate.

"Sorry," he replied to me, but the way he said it was like he was not sure with himself on why he was saying sorry. I wanted him not to, since he was doing nothing bad to me, nothing harmful at all. I turned my head slightly at him to see this face out of the corner of my eye. He was watching me with wide eyes now as I shook my head and his fingers were still within my fingers and near my neck.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked him very quietly, having me see him look at me how was a hint of shock there on his face now as I waited for some kind of answer from him.

"I made you uncomfortable." He replied simply, trying to find the best way to apologize to me. It made me smile even bigger now, making me think that he was so worried about me and how he was touching me. It was then that I moved in my spot and I turned, sitting in front of him now and seeing that he was petrified with what I was going to do to him. Was I going to hit him or even tell him off? Why would I do that to him? He was trying to make me feel better about myself and calm down, he was trying to comfort me. George knew nothing else would really work with me other than bringing the comfort through his hands and his silence.

"You would never make me uncomfortable," I confessed to him, his hands sliding from my hair all the way down to where my own hands were in my lap, not saying a word since he looked floored to my explanation that I gave him, "You make me feel safe more than anything."

I knew he was never one to try and make me feel unsafe, never once did he do that to me. But then again, when he heard that from me from a simple work in my hair, he must have thought I was thinking of something bizarre. I never needed someone to keep me safe, I knew how to get ahead on my own, I had to learn how to survive because I was a widow. But with George, he was making it feel safe enough for me to depend on him for certain things that I knew that were going to be out of my element.

"That's all I wanted," George confessed with a shrug of his shoulders and it finally made me break out into a big grin on my face. He was never one to be real selfish with me, me was more selfish when it came to my well being. I knew it was me that changed that in him, so it made me lean over to him and kiss him on the mouth.

Within an instant of us kissing, George placed both of his hands on my hips and was not going to let me go since he kissed me back with enthusiasm. It seemed so bizarre, the both of us kissing on the bed and neither one of us showed any kind of restraint in our kissing and how we were pressing at each other. He pulled me closer to him as we kissed, my own mind was going through mixed emotions that I was feeling all over my body from my brain.

One of his arms went around me and I had no idea where he other hand was going since it shot back me, but it ended up on the bed as I placed both of my hands on his neck near his jaw, kissing him some more and our kisses going from innocent to deep. Once our breathing was getting heavy and the kisses were more intense, I felt George slowly lowering us on the bed for me to lay down upon the blankets.

He was hovering over me, almost covering me with his body and his hands were running back down to my waist and almost near my thighs as I was still holding his face close to mine and kissing him into what felt like oblivion for me. I was only focusing on him now, feeling him then move his hands away from me and I was about to ask him what was wrong when he pulled his lips from me.

"Too Goddamn hot." he muttered in frustration as he threw his jacket off with haste, have me watch him from my spot on the bed before he threw the jacket to the side of the room and dived back into me again with his lips caressing my own and his hands back on my hips. I kissed him for a minute or so before I felt him some his hands over to where my jacket was, slowly stripping it off of me and have gone along with it without thinking about it twice. My jacket ended up on the floor next to George's and our kisses were getting more heated and intense.

I've never had this much of a kissing session with anyone since Adam was alive, which made me feel more hesitant about this as George was descending his kisses to my jawline and neck, which made me gasp out and clutch him even closer now since it felt like a fire trail where he was planting his lips on my skin. It made me think back to Adam, however since he died I felt like I was never ready for something like this to happen to me again, and I didn't think I would ever be in this kind of position again. Plus, I didn't think it would go so far with George, here on a random bed in France and in the middle of a huge war. But I think thought of Adam again, how I loved him more than words and how I was willing to give him my world, and he was no longer there. It made my heart ache, and for some reason, it made me want to cry.

"Hey," I didn't realize when George stopped kissing my neck and looked down at me, his eyes were huge and looking like they are afraid of what they were seeing on my face. He touched my cheek as he felt a tear there from my eye, and I didn't realize it at all, "What's wrong?"

I breathed out, still riding that high from kissing George almost to heaven and back, but then again I was trying to hard not to cry in front of George after having a blissful moment with them that should that rocked my world. But all I could think about, was my life back at home and how I was never the same since.

"I haven't done something like this in a long time," I whispered to him, almost sounding like I was about to break into a million pieces because I knew it was true. Adam was the only other person I was this intimate with, and it wasn't that I felt like I was betraying Beth's father while I was doing this with George, it just felt overwhelming again and too much and not enough at the same time. George scanned my face after I said that to him. I hated doing this to him, having him think that he was the one that made me cry. But then I saw it click in his head, what I meant when I said that and he just breathed out slowly and then leaned down to press his forehead against my own so gently.

"I'm sorry," He said to me, pressing his lips onto mine very gently now, our swollen lips touching like feathers and he pulled away to move from being on top of me and being next to me on the bed now. He wrapped his arms around me, "I didn't mean to push it that far…"

"Hey," It was my turn to bring him back from what he was thinking, He looked over at me, his head close to me now as I laced our fingers together between us, "You didn't do anything wrong to me, George. Okay?"

"Okay," he replied, having me grin at him and we both decided to lie there on the bed, having me tuck into George and him resting my head against his own. Both of his arms were engulfing me towards him again, his chin on top of me head and have me almost breathe in the shirt he was wearing and the scent he harbored. He smelled of stale cigarettes, the cool winter breeze that was outside, and gunpowder from the recent battle activity. I felt sleep come over me as George was rubbing my back with his fingers and I wrapped my own hands around his arm.

It felt foolish for me to stop what we had, but also didn't feel right within that moment to have it with him. We both knew what we felt, and how we felt it, so this was nothing to be ashamed of or worried about for the future. I was just glad to be back where I was with George, with such a whirlwind around us and made me think I couldn't be able to touch the ground.

I didn't want to touch the ground.

* * *

The next day was a somber kind of day since we were all decompressing what happened to Private Jackson and how they wanted another patrol that night because the first one was a huge success. Well, the main officer thought it was, the rest of us all thought it was shit.

Doc was sleeping throughout the rest of the day, still in his bed and out cold from the pure exhausting he felt from the night before. Babe told me that he was doing better, and Spina too saw some Improvement in how he was breathing and sleeping, and we shouldn't really wake him.

After talking about it with the other Officers, Winters decided to have us lie and say we were going to go on another patrol, but stay behind and get some more sleep. I was surprised that he did this, yet he knew that he was going to have to look out for us and make sure he didn't lose another soldier in a stupid position again.

That night, we were told we were going to be moving out again in the morning and somewhere where we knew they were going to need us. I was relieved to know that we were going to get out of that hell hole, another hell hole that we were suffering in. We needed a break, a big goddamn break.

The next morning was a rush for me to feel, since George and I were walking over to the trucks were I was going to hop into the first one when I was approached by a private with letters in his hands. He saluted me and handed me the letters, having me look and see that they were in my brother's handwriting. The letters, the ones he wrote that I lost when I crashed, they found me again.

I hopped into the passenger seat in the front of the truck, George poking his head through the window that was there behind me in the wall of the truck as I opened the first letter, seeing there was a picture inside. It was of Beth, posing with her grandmother at the Thanksgiving table and she was grinning at the camera then. I smiled, seeing her picture there and remembering when I had a nervous breakdown in front of Doc some time before, and I started to weep. It wasn't the weeping that I was used to doing in the war, this time, it was silent and having it hard to breathe since I knew she was safe and she was real, that my mind was trying to once again tell me she was in trouble. George leaned over to press his head against my own now, grasping my shoulder and letting me know silently that he was right there and not letting me go. But I was done with this war, being away from my daughter and not knowing how she was doing. I was doing trying to brave a face for her to see and think her mother was invisible.

No, her mother was a wreck, damaged from a near death experience, over her head with a new job description, exhausted from a lack of sleep. But I had to think positive, for her sake and for mine. I survived death, I survived the stigma of women in the war and women in planes, and I survived the lack of family and friendship in my life. Because I found a family among a ragtag group of men who call me one of their own, and love in a young man who saw me as beautiful and whole.

I have to keep fighting, for Beth.


	24. Chapter 24

**March 9th, 1945**

**Sturzleberg, Germany**

That morning, I decided to go out on a walk and once again try to get my own head together. We were no longer in the cold, we were no longer having to deal with the Germans head on, and all we could do now as move from town to town, helping wherever we were needed, and just try to get by with the war. At this point, we were hearing talk that the Allies were winning the war, which meant that sometime soon hopefully we could be able to go home and be back to our normal lives. That was the reason I had to go on this walk.

I had to define that word. Normal.

Normal to me was living through the jeeps and trucks they were under my supervision, having a pistol on my hip from the moment I wake up to the moment I fell asleep, being surrounded every day by a group of men who were now like my adoptive brothers and who I grew so close to I could depend on them for anything and everything. and normal was the constant nag of having to look behind my back to make sure I wasn't going to be shot. That was not a new definition of normal, the sense of fear and uncertainty with what tomorrow will bring.

I had to be accustomed to being on the edge, to being able to give up my need of control, and my need to protect myself. I was no used to sleepless nights, to the constant words in my head and the lies that my mind to feed me, and the recurring visions of my daughter whenever I was caught off guard. I would see her for a flicker or a moment, and then she was gone. Ever since I saw her on the streets in France a month ago, she was always coming back to remind me that I was broken without her, broken with my daughter near me to remind me that I was okay and strong enough.

There was a small hill on the top of the town, with several bushes of flowers and berries were nestled there as I ascended the hill to sit at the top. It was a clear view of the town and a couple of towns beyond it, the curling lines of the road that were going in and out of the area and the small buildings within the town. It looked like an oil painting, so small and picturesque for me to watch as I saw Indian Style and watched the sun come up. The golden rays of the morning sun was coming over the countryside, giving warmth from the chill that hung in the air as I clutched my jacket closer to my chest and shivered from the morning dew that was standing my pants from the grass. It was what I was doing for the past few days: watching the sunrise and hope for a better day.

It wasn't that I was lacking sleep now, I would always have a bed and sometimes they would give me first pick, and we would get better food throughout our travels compared to the rations that we were so accustomed to. Something still felt off with me, ever since we were in France and I saw my daughter there and I felt my whole heart breaking again. I felt as though I was hardening underneath the pressure of the war and my job now as a master Sergeant. I wasn't going to cry about it, but I wasn't going to chipper about it either. It felt numb more than anything.

The others knew what was going on, they could see that I was hardening and no longer the kind hearted girl they met back at Toccoa. The effects of the war were getting to me hard, and even though we were out of the frozen hell of France and Bastogne, I was still not the same. The sun didn't change me back, nor did the fact that I had real food or an actual bed. Joe and Doc, along with Shifty and Lipton, were trying to find ways to make me feel better and have me go back to the way I was.

Especially George, who know most about my sufferings from being away from my daughter and my life back at home. He would still be there, holding my hand under the table so no one can see, smiling at me when our eyes would lock, and even sneaking in a kiss on my cheek when he would we have a second to be alone together. It was not fair for him to try so hard to bring me back up to the surface, and I wanted to try and make it better for him. But it was harder than I thought.

As the sun was slowly ascending and giving more light to our corner of the world, I stripped off my jacket now and had my skin be touched by the rays of the golden star and close my eyes. I tried to think positive again, way more positive than I did before. It made me think to pray, really pray since the last time I was praying to God in earnest was when I asked him to protect my family before I left for the Air Force years ago. Since then, I pushed God to the back of my mind and made him a second contender. So I thought I might as well give it another go before something else happened to me.

I prayed for the forgiveness of my sins, how I punched Cobb in the face and screamed at him, and for all that I have done wrong. I thanked God for sparing my life and for letting me live. I prayed for the Easy men, for God to keep them safe and away from harm. I then prayed for my family and their own safety and sanity back at home. I prayed for Beth, my brother Aaron, my mother and father.

And lastly, I prayed for George. I prayed that if God had it in his plans to have George and I together, that He would make our road together smoother than I deserved.

* * *

By the time I was done with my prayer session on top of the hill, the sun was high enough in the sky to signify that it was nearly late morning and almost time for lunch, so I figured I would head back into town and see what needed for be down for the day. I reached the town when the courtyard was in a bustle of both German civilians and Allied soldiers, running from place to place and getting their own errands down. I was going to hit the mail room first to see if I got mail from home and then go to out jeeps for another round of inspection and upgrades that we could do for the day. We were going to move out later that day, so I thought I would get a head start in case something was to happen.

Walking along the cobbled street, I saw one jeep flying by down the street and I looked to see who it was in the jeep, a private in the driver's seat and none other than Lew Nixon there in the front seat, looking more dreadful than anything. We having seen him since he was shipped to Berlin to help with new recruits from orders of Sink himself, and we thought he wasn't going to be back awhile now. This was news to me to see him so soon in our town, but it was more shocking to him almost running over Captain Spiers, who was holding a silver tray with trinkets and silver utensils. He took shocked too, inches from being hit and yet the jeep keep riding on. I walked over to Spiers now, seeing him eye the jeep as Nixon was hopping out and not looking over at him, at us.

"He's back early, sir?" I asked him, reaching Spiers now as Spiers nodded his head.

"That he is, ma'am." He replied, looking back at me now as I was looking at the jeep, it was one of our jeeps.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that he needed a ride back here to CP? I could have gotten him." I said to him, now looking at Spiers and raising my eyebrow to him.

"We figured you needed some time off from being our driver, give the circumstances." He replied, having em face him now and really want to place my hands on my hips now because of how he was making it sound like I was needing some kind of break because of what was going on in my life.

"Captain, I was more than willing and capable to do that for him," I reminded him, seeing him shift a bit with his cargo within his hands as he could tell I was not the happiest of a soldier to hear that from him, "I know this past month I was not the best soldier and worker that I used to be—"

"Sergeant O'Malley," he said to me to have me stop and stare at him now with worry in my stance, "This was not a reflection on your work ethic at all, it was a mere thought of you needing to be able to have a few days of rest before we had you working fully again."

"Sir, to be frank with you, I don't need recharging or rest. I don't want to be another extra body or be in the way of this Company." I confessed to him, seeing him look at me different now as he then looked over to the mailroom where we were close enough to walk into. He then motioned with his head.

"Walk with me," he said, the both of us walking together in step now as he was still holding his silver tray with his hands, "Sergeant, there was never a question or doubt in our minds that you were in any of our ways with Easy, not among the officers. However, we still know that you are still new to this, compared to the Air Force, and we were willing to have you adjust to this for however how long takes."

"It's kind of you to say, sir, but I promise you that I don't need this much adjusting if it is interfering with my job and what I need to do," I countered as we walked into the mailroom now and he placed the silver tray on the counter

"Good morning, sir. Good morning, ma'am." The private said to us as he saw us there at the counter.

"Morning. You got a box this stuff'll fit into?" Spiers asked him now.

"Yes, sir, I think so. Same destination?" The private asked him.

"Yeah," Spiers replied, the private now getting the silver ready as Speirs was looking back at me now, "If you had any thought that we were cutting you slack, I do apologize."

"I would hope so," I replied, seeing a grin back on his face now as I faced the private, "Do you have any mail for Segreant Adaline O'Malley from Easy Company?"

"Let me check for you, ma'am." He replied, moving the silver away from the front and then looking behind him at the mail slots and shuffling through them.

"Expecting something from home?" Spiers asked me as we were leaning on the counter with our arms.

"I am, since the last letter I got from my brother and my daughter was back at France," I explained, seeing him give me a nod, "What about you?"

"I don't get mail much." He replied, the private walked back over now and handing me some letters as I chuckled at him.

"You're not much for being social, are you?" I asked him with a soft smile on my lips. He just grinned at me as I shoved the letters in my jacket pocket and moved away from the counter. If I knew Spiers, he was more of a cautionary tale for us to talk about and look at from a distance, the only ones who really knew him were the officers and knew how dedicated he was to Easy since he was one of our Captains now. I was still trying to get used to him and how he worked, which I doubt he would mind at all. So I walked away from him and over to the front area where I saw the courtyard and the soldiers walking around.

"Boy, sir, your folks are sure gonna have a quite a collection by the time you get…..home." The private must have been caught by one the infamous stares of Spiers before I heard Spiers reply back to him with two words.

"Finders Keepers." I grinned as I walked down the steps and into the courtyard to find a spot to read my letters. I have no real reason why I would smile from something like that from Spiers, but then again I was having a new ray of emotions that were coming over little by little. I pushed my hair for my eyes now as my boots were walking over to where I knew the jeeps were parked. I wanted tog et my job out of the way and then see where the others went off to.

One of the jeeps was parked near an alleyway, having me identify with because of the serial number there on the back. I smiled, seeing that I was going tog et me done sooner than later as I walked over to start the engine, But something was on the side, near the mirror on the driver's side and attached to the stop with a blue ribbon. I was confused as to what it was from where I was standing, seeing it was a brilliant shade of blue. When I got closer, I realized what it was and I grinned from ear to ear from the pure shock running through me.

It was a blue flower, the most beautiful flower I have ever seen.

I reached out to touch the flower, just to make sure this was real enough. And it was, the silk fabric of the petal was under my fingertip as I then saw a note attached to the flower and the ribbon. I was too enthralled with the flower to hear someone walking up behind me and I looked to see it was Webster, a small smile on his face as he too saw the flower.

"That's a Centaurea Cyanus." He replied, pointing to the flower and his voice making it sound so whimsical. I looked at him in shock now as he was grinning at me as if it was it was part of his language to talk about species of flowers to people. I think it was before he came to the war.

"In English, Webster." I said to him, seeing him grin wider now since it sounded like I was back to my normal self again.

"It's called the Cornflower or the Bluebottle really. It' Germany's national flower," He explained, having me look back at the single flower there on the mirror and I took it off carefully, "I didn't think they grew out here in this area though."

"It's beautiful." I said out loud, not thinking to realize it since I thought it was merely in my head.

"Looks like someone was looking out for you," Webster voiced, having me look back at him with the flower in my hands like I was cupping water. He just shrugged his shoulders and then pointed to the jeep, "I was coming over to tell you that when you're done with the jeep, Winters wants to go over the jeep protocol with the next town we're going to."

"Thanks, Web." I thanked him, seeing him grin at me as he walked away and left me there with the flower. Looking back at it, I grabbed the note from the stem and unfolded it, seeing familiar scripted writing there and it made me feel the warmth within my chest again.

_Meet me at the lobby of your apartment at 1:00. I have something for you._

_George._

_PS, you make this flower look pale in comparison to you._

Damn him, damn him and his words.

* * *

After my meeting with Winters and getting my assignment for the next town that we were going to embark on, I walked back over to my apartment right at 1:00 on the dot with my flower in my hand, feeling anxious as to what was going to be waiting for me since I didn't see Georg all day that day. I was just glad to be getting away from the men and the constant distractions, and I figured I would put off reading the letters from home for a bit longer since I was feeling good that day. At noon the men had their meeting with Nixon whom was giving them a new kind of announcement on both the war and what was going on at home, in which I was with Winters in our meeting and I apparently missed out on a rousing singing session of Oklahoma. I was glad since I never had the best voice.

I opened the doors into the lobby, seeing that it was a bit dark now and the instant smell of breakfast filled my senses and made me breathe it in with a gurgle in my stomach since I skipped lunch. Why did it smell of eggs, sausage, coffee, and some other breakfast fixings? And why was it so dark with no lights on practically as I turned the corner to see the lobby fully.

I was floored, not moving for a few moments as to what I was seeing in front of me. There, in the middle of the lobby on one of the coffee tables was a breakfast spread that felt like it was fit for a King. Sausage, cooked eggs over easy, toast with butter on, bacon already cooked and sizzled and two coffee mugs, hot and ready to be consumed. All around the table there, both of nightstands and some on the floor, were candles and they were light to give the cool atmosphere of what I was seeing. But the one thing I saw there that made me smile so widely, was George himself.

He looked nervous standing there, not moving and watching me face as I was drinking in what I was seeing there in the room. His hands were folded in front of him now as his eyes looked so soothing but warm. He had a small smile on his face, walking over to me a bit now as I was still frozen in my spot.

"I figured you needed a pick me up, so…I made us breakfast." He explained with a light tone, gesturing to the breakfast he made for me. I looked at all the food, thinking that this was far too much for me to have and for him to do for me. I had to look at him now, finding my voice to say the one thing that was in my head.

"George, it's 1:00 in the afternoon." I stated to him, seeing him grin widely at me and shrug his shoulders.

"There is never a bad time to have breakfast." He informed me, having me walk over to him and keep my eyes on him as he went onto talking some more, "My mom would have breakfast anytime in the day whenever any of us kids would be sad, or not having the best day, and since I have never done this before for any girl because I am for one a bad cook—"

"This is amazing, George." I stopped him from still talking to me, having me see him look at me in shock now as I grinned at him, gesturing to the scene in front of me, "You didn't have to do this for me."

"I wanted to, you deserve it," he said to me, reaching over to lace our fingers together, "And I told the guys to let us have some time just to the two of us here and eat all we can before I give it to Liebgott and Bull as leftovers."

I giggled as I nodded in agreement, feeling overwhelmed by it all as George lead us over to the two plucked shares the he had set up, "How did you get all of this?"

"I did a lot of scrounging this morning with Perconte, even got slapped by a farm girl who caught me stealing her eggs," He explained, having me look at him in shock.

"George!" I said to him, seeing him throw up his hands as I sat down at my chair.

"Hey, they had no fresh eggs here in town and you deserve nothing but the best. Plus, I bribed some others so get me the coffee and butter and toast." He explained as he walked over to the other side of the table where he chair was, smiling at me as he sank down into the chair. I just sat there for a few moments, just watching him seeing how he tried to hard, and still is trying, to make sure I was going to be okay and that I was still attached to the world. It made me appreciate him even more and wonder how I never saw him in ways I should have. He was more selfless that people gave him credit for, way more that I should appreciate and call him out on since I knew he was also a man of doubt.

"Thank you, George," I thanked him, seeing him smile and show me that one smile that we would only share with each other and with no one else would. I only hoped that I would be able to give something back to him return, "I know that the way I've been treating you this past couple of weeks was not even close to being fair.."

"You were trying to get yourself together, there's nothing wrong with that," He reminded me, having me realize that we didn't have to talk about it anymore. I didn't want to, I wanted to change for the sake of my relationship with George and how I wanted to carry myself for now on until the war was over. George grabbed his coffee mug, having em do the same as he raised it to me almost like it was a toast. I saw the glow on his face, how it made him look more soothing like the sunset and more alluring to have me get butterflies again, as always with him.

"Cheers…to us miss Adaline O' Malley." He said with his soothing tone to him now as I raised my own mug to him. If he was willing to stick around for the both of us and make sure I had a rock to stand on, I was going to do the same for him.

"Cheers to us, Mr. George Luz." I replied back to him.

Yes, cheers to us then.

* * *

_Dear Adaline,_

_I really do hope you're doing a lot better. We were worried about you since we got a letter from the Air Force that you were Missing in Action. I didn't have the heart to tell Beth what happened, I guess I was still hoping that you were going to show up somewhere. I guessed right, which saved me a talk that I would never want to have with your daughter._

_It scared me to think that I almost lost a sister, let alone the mother of my niece. Don't think I'm telling you this to make you feel terrible, but I'm telling you this to have you know how much you do mean to me as my sister and friend. Deaths are a normality there in the army, but yet I thought of you as someone who can overcome death. You were always tough, even as a little girl who never took failure or a fall back lightly. But when I got this letter, my heart did stop for a few seconds and I felt like everything in my world fell apart._

_Adaline, I don't know what it means to survive after something as drastic as a plane crash. I don't know what it means to be in pain every day, but I do know what it feels like to try and keep going after feeling like you're falling apart. You already went through it once, when Adam died. You can make it through again, and can only ask that you keep trying to survive. If this did not kill you, then I don't know what will._

_Write back and tell me how things are going. From what you told me, you really like this George guy. He sounds like a good guy for you, and I want a picture of this guy. Is he as dreamy as you make him out to be in your letters?_

_Aaron_

* * *

The scene was rolling past us smoothly as I was driving in the first jeep that was leading us to our new town, Lipton was in the passenger seat with us and the officers were in the back, talking to each other and having the breeze flow through us and have us feel content. I was glad to be behind the driver's wheel again and have my mind back to the road in front of me, nothing more to think about.

I enjoyed my date I had with George, the both of us forgetting about the rest of the world and just having the moment between the two of us that was not tainted with war or with heartache. We laughed about past stories that he brought up, giggled at each other when one of us would spill or eat our food in a certain manner, but we were mostly just drinking in each other and grinning like we were teenagers on their first date. It felt like an official date, sealed with a kiss at the end and a promise to George that I would try to do better for the both of us. He promised that he wouldn't ever let me fall if I was going to be sad or not myself again. We both were going to go out with our best foot forward now.

I had two things were on the dashboard of the jeep, near the window: the flower George gave me on our date, and the recent picture of Beth that Aaron sent me in his letter that I got. This recent picture of Beth was showing me her wearing a swimsuit and going swimming at the community pool with Aaron and her grandparents, which made me happy to see her grinning at the picture and Aaron splashing her as the picture was being taken. I was glad to have that there for me to see and be another constant reminder that I was so close to being home with her, so close and yet it felt so far away.

"Adaline," I looked over to see Lipton there with his head against the headrest and his face aimed over at me, "What are your plans for when we get home?"

"Plans, sir?" I asked him, keeping my eye on the road ahead since I was the one leading the way for Easy Company.

"Yeah, I doubt you would want to stay in the army after the war's over. What about Beth?" He asked me, having me grin at him now since he brought up my daughter.

"I think I'll just settle down with Beth, find a job somewhere downtown in Boston and then probably get my degree." I explained to him.

"Sounds like a good plan, maybe one of these days I can meet Beth," Lipton sounded so sincere about it as he said, having me look at him in and see him eye the picture of Beth there on my dashboard. I knew he had a soft heart for children, yet I only knew that he had a wife back home in Huntington and he was all about family when he grew up. He had a good heart for others and he knew how to serve them without wanting anything back in return.

"I think she would love you, sir," I admitted to him, "Hell, she would love all the men in Easy."

"I would be more curious if she would be frightened of all of us than anything," Lipton countered back, having me chuckle and shake my head.

"If I taught her anything, it's to love people for who they are," I explained to him, "And, to embrace anything that is different, because different is good."

"She learned from the best then, since I hardly hear any mothers teach their children that," Lipton commented.

"I was never a typical mother any who. I got my own mother mad when she would try and buy Beth a dress, and every single time Beth would get it dirty….just to get her own grandmother mad." I explained, hearing him snicker now from my story about my own daughter.

"Well, I'm sure most of the men here in Easy would want to meet her," Lipton said as we were still going down the road. I never placed that into a real conversation with Beth or Aaron: having the Easy men meet my daughter and want to get to know her. I never talked about Beth a whole lot, at least I hoped I didn't that would make me seem like a bore for them. I told them enough, let alone them all wanting to see pictures over time I got a letter. So it seemed only fair to have them meet her face to face.

"What about you, Lipton? You going to go back home to Huntington?" I asked him in wonder now as I wanted to change the conversation over to him.

"I'm thinking so, help my mom with the family business of room and board place we've had for awhile. I'm thinking of going to college too," He explained as he was shuffling a bit in his seat and then ruffled his hair with his fingers. I could see the scar there from the Battle of Foye, which I was told was a battle that was both draining and victorious at the same time.

"Look at you being a college, boy." I commented to him, seeing him shake his head now as we were still going along the road. I could hear the soldiers behind me in the jeeps and trucks. I didn't know what sound they were singing, but when I heard the words, I both cringed and was in awe from what I was hearing:

_Glory, glory_

_What a Hell of a way to die…_

_He ain't gonna jump no more!_

* * *

**Landsburg, Germany**

It was another round of what makes what in the new apartment complex we took over. I was never a huge fan of ruffling feathers with anyone, but this was the pure icing on the cake now when we were told we were going to be staying in apartments….and kicking out current residents. It made me feel nauseous now, seeing families being shoved out on the streets with only a few minutes notice and they had no die what they were doing wrong. We were just out on patrol now, finding another town to sweep over and make sure it had no German soldiers there that we could not handle.

I could hear all of the families yelling at us German now as we were sweeping the apartment complex in this new town, having me stay quiet since I had no die what they were saying and I was not planning on wanting to know what they were, in fact, calling us. Doc and I stood together, waiting patiently until we knew it was safe for us to go inside and claim a room for ourselves. We walked in together, some of the soldiers already inside now and talking to each other about who was getting what room.

"Drivers and medics get first pick on the two second, everyone else fend for yourselves." Nixon explained to us, already sporting his five o clock shadow and a soul look on his face. I cringed a bit as he walked away, having me look over at Doc and see him shrug since he too didn't know what else to do but to go along with it.

We climbed to the second floor, seeing the long hallway that was wide and deserted now since most of the men were still downstairs. I looked left and right, hearing nothing and seeing nothing move to show that we were the only two should there on the floor.

"Let's look at this one," Doc said to me in assurance as he pointed to the one on the left. We both walked over, having me push open the door now and peer inside. There was a huge living room, a large lounging couch and chair sitting over the top of a nice woven carpet and several bookshelves along the wall and near the window. There was an opening to the kitchen on the leftist and the small hallway into what would be the bedroom and whatever else would be back there. Doc and I walked in completely, having me look around at the things I found: a record player with a record on the top, books flown all over the place probably from the evacuation, a couple of nightstands with pictures there, a newspaper on the ground in front of the couch, a bar area in the corner and a glass of what looked like brandy was out and ready for someone to drink.

"I'll take the one next to you," Doc said to me, having me nod my head but keep my eyes on all the stuff that was in the room. I felt so out of place like I didn't want to touch anything because it was someone else to touch and to have.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked me, having me look back at him and see him watch me making sure I was going to be okay. He was once again trying to take care of others, and even though he was doing better since his breakdown in France, I was still worried about him and his well-being.

"I'll be fine, thanks, Doc." I replied, seeing him give me a short smile before he turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone. I decided to look one more time in the living room before I ventured over to where the bedroom would be to dump my things. It was going to be another night of just trying to not worry about who's apartment I just took. I couldn't think like that, that would kill me off in the end.

I heard a knock at my front door after I dumped the last bit of clothing I had from my bag, having me leave the bedroom I was in and walk down the hallway as I was stripping off my shirt. I heard the others in the hallway, some of them talking to each other and looking at each other's rooms as one voice in particular called out to me.

"Adaline, you home?" I grinned, hearing that it was George as he was poking his head into the living room.

"Hello you," I said to now as he grinned at me.

"Doc told me you would be in here," He explained as he walked into the living room and wrapped his arms around me, having em hug him back before he pulled away from me and looked around at my living room, "Nice digs."

"Where are you staying?" I asked.

"Two doors down from you, next to Doc and Babe who are shacking up with each other. I'm with Perconte." He explained as he walked around my living room, like he was about to give it his approval.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing that you're living with him." I commented, seeing him shake his head and walk back over to me.

"Not at all, the guy has sticky fingers and he's already grabbing some of the booze from the other apartment before the other guys knew what he was doing," George explained as he eyed me up and down now with that glimmer of a look in his eyes.

'So, are you saying that you're going to be spending most of your night drinking away with the boys?" I asked in almost a hint in my tone, seeing him think about it for a moment before he wrapped both of his arms around me and pulled into his embrace again, having me chuckled as he nuzzled into me.

"I could, but then again I would rather be spending this evening with you than anyone else unless you want me to go." George said in a sincere manner, having me shake my head and hold him close some more. Even in this new town with no expectations on where we were going to be next, I was just glad I had him to hold onto.

* * *

"Adaline," Someone was shaking me awake now as I was still in my bed, waking up in the late morning since I was given that morning off from my job routine and I was going to report to Winters later on. But it was still odd for me to be shaken awake in m own room at the apartment, having me rub my eyes and see that it was Joe Liebgott and Doc there in my bedroom. What the hell. I sat up, knowing that I was only in my t-shirt and my combat pants since I had no other pajamas to work with and I saw them both looking right at me. They both looked rather shocked, almost like something hit them hard in the face like a freight train.

"Joe? What's going on?" I asked him, blinking away the sleepiness in my eyes now as he looks over at Doc for some kind of explanation. Doc looked back at him, saying nothing at all and I knew something was really off with them now.

"What is it?" I asked them both again, hearing Doc give a shaky sigh as Joe looked back at me.

"This morning on patrol they….uh….fuck….they found something." He said to me in a stammer now since it seems like it was scaring him, "We need you drive one of the trucks out there."

"What did they find?" I asked, not getting what was going on but getting a sinking feeling that it was something very unusual and not even close to being normal.

"We don't know, Adaline. But we need to go now." Doc replied for Joe.

Well, shit.


	25. Chapter 25

I couldn't get out of the jeep, not from what I was seeing in front of me. It was making me sick to my stomach, almost like I wanted to vomit in my seat from the sight that was in front of me whether I liked it or not. The others were talking to each other about what the best scenario would be in help these people.

These prisoners.

Doc and Joe led me over to Winters who was outside in the courtyard, a somber look on his face as Perconte was still looking like he was about to shake at the knees. He explained that they found something out in the woods on their patrol in the morning while the rest of us were still in our own worlds back in the town. We grabbed all of the jeeps that we could and we went out on the trail that Perconte mapped out for us, having me lead the way in the jeep and Perconte sitting next to me. I kept looking at him every once in awhile to see the look he still had, he was still looking pale and like he saw death in front of him.

And he was right.

There was a camp, some kind of camp with barbed wires all around the perimeter and small hurt inside, some of them dug into the earth. All of the smells we were encountering when we reached a certain point in the drive that made me try not to breathe from the stench of some kind of rotting of the skin, or burning of the scent to be precise. None of us knew what it was until we saw the camp there and all of those faces looking right at us. They looked so lost, so lost and not knowing what to do when they saw a whole group of Americans rolling in trucks and jeeps towards them.

I would be afraid too.

"Open it up," Winters ordered the men as they were standing at the front gate that was chained closed. I was still in the jeep, clutching the steering wheel like I was about to be washed away from a storm that was coming my way. The rest of the men were standing close by Winters, seeing the sight there and already most of them were at a lost for words. I was trying to breathe, but nothing was coming in or out now.

"Anyone of your men speak German?" Winters was asking for someone to talk for him, to translate and try to help in any way as the soldiers were slowly going into the camp, looking at each prisoner and seeing them eye us back in wonder and in stunned silence.

"Come on, Adaline. Let's go help whoever we can," Doc urged me now as he was standing close to me and eyeing the sight himself, clutching his satchel now and having me look up and over at him. He wasn't looking sick, but more like he was concerned about every person he was making eyes with within that prison there, having me see that his heart was sinking on how much work he had to do. I slowly got up from the jeep with my clammy hands and shuffled a bit on the dirt floor. The stench was getting far too great for me to take in and not throw up on my boots, and I placed my hand over my mouth to get most of the smell and odor away from me.

"Here," Doc handed me something from his satchel and it made me look: a Blue headscarf of some kind. It was light blue, almost pure in color with an few drops of stained blood here and there now as he handed the scarf to me and I held it within my hands. I took a moment to hold it before I slowly moved it up to wrap it around my mouth and nose, in an effort to mask the waves after wave of death that was slamming me hard in the face and all along my body.

"Thanks," I thanked him, seeing him nod his head at me and help me tie it on as the others went into the prison camp.

"Better to not get you in trouble and be seen as a female," Doc reminded me, having me nod in agreement as to why I would once again hide the fact that I was a female. I didn't want an uproar with these prisoners when they see that I was a female in their presence, that could be chaos for all involved. Doc was trying to look out for me and we both started walking out to the front gate. I stayed close to him, seeing that the others were scattered about in the camp and interacting with the prisoners, who were either hugging them in weeping stars or just trying to speak to them in German.

As soon as we made our way through the front gates and into the main area, prisoners were there left and right, looking at the pair of us and having me see them up close now. All I could see were bones, bones and gray skin that seem like they have no ever witness or touched the rays of the sun. I wondered what kind of place this really was, if they really are prisoners and why it felt worse than anything. Something was very wrong here, as if a secret was lying here and was very vile and very unholy.

"Jesus, can you believe this place, Web?" I could hear George talking to Webster now as they are walking together, analyzing the place as I was staying behind Doc and seeing him being approached by a couple of the prisoners, trying to talk to him in German, but he had no idea what was going on.

"No," Webster replied back almost dumbfounded. George then found me where I was, having the both of us lock eyes and silently telling each other what we were thinking. We both were scared now, having me really wish I could go over there and hug him close and wish this was all some kind of sick dream that was not even close to being real.

"I don't know…I don't know what you need." Doc said to the prisoner who was talking to him in a weeping tone of German and I looked back over to him. He was trying so hard but all he knew was French, and this was not going as planned. I moved the bandana down now to my neck to get my face to be seen again as I turned my head slightly over in Webster's direction.

"Web, we need you over here." I called to him but keeping my eyes on Doc now as the prisoner was still trying to talk to him and seeing if he was going to indeed help them. Webster jogged over to us now, seeing the situation hearing in what the prisoner was talking to Doc about.

"They're wondering if we're here to help them," Webster translated for us, then talking to the prisoner in German now and the man looking back at him in shock that there was someone who was able to talk to him now.

"Here," Doc said to the man, giving him his canteen and the man drinking it all down now in earnest. As he was doing this, I saw Joe Liebgott talking to another prisoner, translating for him for Winters and Spiers who were trying to understand what this place was.

"I don't think criminals, sir. Uh… _Verbrecher_ (Criminals)?" Joe asked the man now whom shook his head and went on talking to him some more with a stammer there in his voice.

"He said that they were left here this morning, the officers were not looking back at all." Webster was translating some more for Doc and now Bull who happened to have passed by and was hearing what was going on. I looked back at the man too, seeing tears freely fall down his cheeks as he was pointing with his skeleton finger to the opening of the camp, all of us looking too and seeing him shake there.

"There were officers here?" Bull asked, Webster translation for him and the man nodding in return before he brought his hand to his chest like he was touched by fire.

"All of them fled before the sun even rose in the morning, we didn't know where they were going, or if they were going to the other camp where the women were." I cringed when he said it, having me really try and figure out what kind of place this was and how all of these men were looking like they were doing to die at any moment. But I heard Joe said the one sentence that made all of this now a sick twisted of a joke yet it was all real.

"They're Jew. Poles and Gypsies." It was the one sentence that made all of us that were hearing him have the floor fall from underneath us, like the gravity was now making us leave the earth with no sense of holding onto something to bring us back. We were all stunned, even Doc and Bull heard Joe and they were so quiet and in shock now as Webster found his voice again, asking the man a question and the man simply nodding his head before he spoke himself.

"All of them are Jews." Wester said to us now, having me feel some tears fall from my own face now as the reality was sinking in. It was all about religion, not about what they did. I never thought something like this was real, very real and it made me really try not to stomach down the fact that humans were capable of doing this to one another. How could humans do this? It made me really see the Germans in a new light, a new raw light that was even close to kind.

"Christ, they're malnourished." Bull said in almost a mourning manner now as Doc was handing him some of his rations in his satchel with a sour look on his face.

"I'm gonna call Sink. Find Spiers and figure out how to get them some food and water." I heard Winters say to someone as I walked away from the group I was near and over to the middle of the camp again, thinking that this was only the worse thing that I was going to see. But more should be coming, more should be worse that we were going to see and this was only the tip of the iceberg.

What more was there to see and be afraid of?

* * *

I watched from the sideline now as they were trying to keep the men back in the camp to monitor their food and water intake. I was now in the verge of a breakdown, knowing that this was happening around me to these poor souls. Just watching them fight over bread even to them from the local bakery, it was making me almost lose my stomach now as I felt someone grasp my hand yet I kept focus on what was in front of me.

"Adaline…" George said to me, and I felt it, having em move away from him now and then rush over to the nearer bush before emptying my stomach into the leaves there and trying not to fall in. It was killing me from the indie out, having me empty out all that was in me and feel so empty and defeated.

"Jesus, Christ." Luz said aloud in a mutter now as he was standing behind me and watching me throw up into the bushes. I almost feel over within moments and he grabbed my arms, keeping me up from falling there into my own vomit and I felt myself shaking all over again. Not only was it making me spew it all from my mouth, but tears were there now from my eyes that were free falling now and hitting my jacket and the leaves.

"Come on, come on back here," George said to me now in a hushed manner as he pulled me back to stand up again, both of my hands were shaking all over and I was hyperventilating there within his arms.

"Doc, over here Doc." George called out to Doc now as I was still trying to breathe, but nothing was really coming out. Someone was running over to our direction now as I was shuffled over to the side where the nearest jeep was and my head felt heavy from all of the images that I was seeing, all of the men who were now permanently in my mind and they all looked like death and they were all so real.

"Let me see, come here and let me see," Doc urged me as he crawled my face within his hands and I was still having a hard time to get oxygen. I saw his eyes, how dark they were and yet how concerned as things were getting blurry in the head now and my hands were trying to grasp my jacket and they shook violently.

"Adaline, you need to breathe in and out. Through your nose and out your mouth." Doc instructed me, having me feel foolish since both men were looking after me and trying to make me feel better in front of the others and making me feel pathetic and worthless. I didn't want this kind of attention, not even the closest.

"You're having a panic attack, focus on your breathing and you'll be okay," Doc explained as I nodded to him, my breathing still out of whack as George finally got into my line of vision. It was no longer Doc who was trying to calm me down and bring me back to earth, it was George now.

"Listen to me, okay sweetheart?" George asked me, having me fully focus on his face and his handsome face that was worried there in front of me, "You need to focus on something, remember back when we were together plenty of times? We talked about movies, which ones made us laugh, and then we talked about Beth. Think of her…think of how much she misses you and how close you are to being with her again," I saw her face in my head, and this time it was not a bad thing to see her. No, this time I was glad I was seeing her face there because it was once again, now in a positive light, bringing me back to reality.

"I know you can see her in your head," George said to me in a loving manner, his hands were rubbing my arms and then he reached over to wipe the falling strands of my hair from my eyes, "You're gonna be alright, I know you will be. If you can survive a plane crash, you can get over this." I reached up to grasp his hand now as I heard Joe talking to the survivors now in German, the prisoners were moaning in pain and in despair from what he was telling them. I only wondered what he was supposed to be explaining, yet George was there trying to bring me back down again. This had to be the tip of the iceberg for me in this whole war, but it was no longer a tip and more of a shove.

"Let's get some of the men back into town or a recon check and a ration protocol. We need to find more supplies for these men and also get you guys some rest." Sink was telling some of the other Captains there within the area as more medics were going over to the prisoners and to check on them. Slowly my breathing was coming back to normal now as George was still holding me close with his hands against my sleeves and his head almost touching my own. I was hoping that no one was watching us and seeing that one again I was not myself anymore.

"Let's go back into town, get away from here, okay?" George asked me as I breathed in deeply and I nodded at him, "Okay, let's bolt out of here on the jeep."

"I can take you," Doc suggest to me as I was standing back up completely and moving away from George and over to the jeep, finding my senses again and no longer freaking out. I shook my head at that, not wanting to steal Doc away from what he needed to do with the others as the main medic.

"No, you need to stay with the men and take care of the prisoners here," I said to him placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from going further. He looked a bit offended at me not having him come with me and take care of me again. He has already done that plenty of times now in the war and now he needed to still be on his own as a medic.

"I can take her, Doc." George reassured him now as he could see how hurt Doc must have looked from me telling him stay behind with the rest of the group. Other soldiers that were not helping were filing over to the jeeps now as both George and I walked together, close by each other and having me try to keep my head down so that others would see what I was going through within that moment.

I was just wanting to get the hell out of that place.

* * *

The next day was a bit the same, not bad and not good. We were stationed to go back to the camp and send the survivors to the local hospital there in Landsburg, other patients, there were pushed out and sent away from there so the whole building would be occupied by the ones who survived the night. For the locals who stayed in the town, and whom apparently had no die that on the other side of the forest where they were living, were sent to the map to help with the clean up and demolishing the camp. Nixon was more than happy to help with the locals going over there since he looked the most pissed about what happened to innocent men.

But it was worse to hear that there was another map down the railroad line, one of Women.

I heard about that in the morning when I woke up and I went into the main square of town for news. I was informed that there were more camps like this all around Europe, all of which were mostly filled with Jews, Poles, Gypsies, and other who were not part of the normal crowd. It made me want to hate them, hate the Germans from what they did. But then again, I was dumbfounded than anything.

I helped load and unload the survivors into the hospital now, seeing them come wave after mourning wave into the building and me going back to the camp again before all of them were finally there and safe within the walls. Most of them were malnourished and were needing some more food that was not going to kill them and a good couple of days to get warm and stable.

They were the lucky ones,

When the sun was about to go down on the town and we were getting most of them ready for bed, we had another group of jeeps coming in from another company that too found the camps that were further down the railroad line, past the women's camp. I looked from my own spot in the lobby, talking to some of the other sergeants and jeep drivers as to what we were going to do with the rations that we were going to get the next day. What I saw made my own heart break, but I said nothing as they were flooding the lobby now with the soldiers guiding them, some of the soldiers carrying them.

Children. Goddamn, children.

Some of them were as much as being 4 years old, others as old as 12 years old and as tall a small little sugar cane trees. They all had shaven heads, like the other prisoners from the first camp we saw. and some of them were too like skeletons with skin seeping over bones. They looked so lost as they were being herded into spare rooms, 3 or 4 to a room now and nurses were looking at them over as well as the medics that were available. Doc Roe went there too to help with the little ones, and I felt pretty bad since all I was to them was a driver. I had to think of something.

"What can I do for those kids, George?" I asked George as we both were sitting there together on my bed, after another round of nightmares from the camps opening my mind to raw things. It was still early morning, and I had no heart to go back to sleep again so George and I started to talk about the camps again in hopes that I would clear my mind.

"They probably need some kind of distraction, you know?" He asked me, having me cock my head a thin since he sounded so unusual, "I mean, I always thought humor was the best way to try and forget, to try and make things better."

"But how can we try and make them forget something that has almost killed them?" I asked him, trying to place it all together in my head and almost sounding pathetic about it really. Georg grabbed the both of my hands and held them close, giving me a sad smile since I knew he too was in pain from seeing the children.

"I'm not saying we need to make them forget, since that is close enough to be impossible," He agreed with me and I was about to say something to him when he beat me to the punch, "But I know kids and I know how to make them…at least for a short while….forget where they are and have them feel like kids again."

"You do?" I questioned.

"Sure I do! I would help babysit kids sometimes when I was a teenager maybe young too since they all thought I was a good laugh. I know how to make kids grins, make them run around after me like I was a scary pirate, and mostly just make them feel safe," I grinned, the first time that day I smiled and it all because of how George spoke about giving children that sense of safety when they were rocked of her minds and their lives. I knew how Beth was when she would have a nightmare, or when she would fall to the floor and scar up her legs and knees. I knew to distract her, to get her mind off of the pain and what was causing it and make her think of something else. George had a point, it does work well on kids, better on them than adults.

"We do we have to do?"

* * *

The last day we were in town there in Landsburg, we were all briefed on George's plan. Well, some of the men in Easy were briefed, the ones who were assigned to work the hospital really since the rest were back at the camp again. We told them to help out in any way whether is telling stories to the children or just telling them jokes and among faces. We had to find a way t make sure they are distracted long enough to somewhat smile and feel better about life. At first, the Easy Men were a bit skeptical, not thinking it was going to work. But George and I knew since he worked with kids for some time and I had a child of my own,

It was going to work.

I was afraid of how it was going to work, but we had Webster to translate for the children as George was telling the children some old fairy tales that he remembered as a kid. I was watching from the door now, seeing about 13 children all sitting at George's feet and he was in a chair, Webster next to him as George was telling the tale of Cinderella.

"That's when the fairy Godmother appeared with her wings and a long magic wand, and she told Cinderella, 'You can go to the ball and I'll make you the most beautiful maiden there!' " George said to the children as Webster was telling it in German. Most of the children were wide eyes, some of them and their mouths open from the story. I made me grin, seeing how innocent they were with their shaven heads and still looking like skin and bones. I wondered how long they are going to look like this now, having me feel a bit of a pain there since something else flooded my head. They had no idea where their mothers and fathers were.

Do they know if they were alive or dead?

"Hey," I looked over my shoulder at the hallway, seeing that it was none other than Joe Liebgott there. I wondered how he was doing. I haven't seen him since we were at the camp days before, and from what I was told by Perconte and Christenson, he was not taking the whole situation lightly. He was in tears on his ride home in the jeep, not having anyone look at him and make sure he was alright. I knew it was making him feel like he was buried alive, not being able to breathe. He had it was worse because he too was a Jew and these were his people.

It murdered him.

"Hey," I replied back, smiling at him a small grin as he was analyzing the group inside the room. The children giggled after George made a romantic kind of face and sighed loudly. Their giggled and laughter were a chorus that was somehow lifting me from the ground, yet I could still see the look of pain on Joe's face now as he was watching, not getting anywhere close to the room now, as if he was afraid to be near them.

"What's he doin'?" Joe asked me now with his head motioning to Luz, who was talking some more with his hands and using voices to tell the tale.

"Telling the children a story," I replied back to him, seeing him look in both disbelief and with a hint of confusion there on his face. I kind of knew this was going to happen with him since Joe was never once to really embrace anything new or anything out of his comfort zone.

"A Story?" He asked, almost sounding like a snort. I could see he was still rocky from the whole thing, the war color was no longer there and it felt like there was a boulder on his shoulder now instead of a small chip that someone would get.

"They need something to help them get better other than medicine, so we're trying to….get them to feel better." I explained to him some more. He then glared at them, having em really want to find out what was going on in his head and if it was something that I could fix. He then moved away from the door now and started to walk away from the scene, having me sigh in defeat and walk after him.

"Look, Joe," I started still following him and having me see him still walk with a hunch on his face, "What happened to them was not at all fair, let alone decent in the very least. We are just trying to make it better for them so that they can at least find some kind of silver lighting—"

"What kind of silver fucking lighting can they get from what happened to them?" Joe said now, looking back at me with anger on his face now as we were standing in front of each other in the hallway, soldiers were walking by us and some of them were watching us now. I stayed calm since I knew Joe was going to have some kind of blow up because of all of this. I just didn't think it was going to be on me now.

"They need a sense of hope, Joe. If that's the only thing we can give them right no, then so be it," I explained calmly again, but he shook his said and scoffed.

"It's all utter bullshit! You guys are trying to hide what happened to them and the fact that there were hundreds if not thousands of my Goddamn people who died back there and in other camps! You all act like nothing happened from how you're telling them stories and filling their heads!" Joe countered back at me, taking a step towards me and having me that he was shaking a bit from pure hate and anger in his body.

"We're not pushing it aside," I said to him, raising my voice slightly as he went quiet, "We all saw what happened, we know what the German soldiers did! Don't you dare call us oblivious to what happened, We are just trying to move forward and focus on those who survived now!"

"It sure doesn't look like it, with George acting like a complete jackass in there as if nothing happened," Joe challenged me, having me shift in my spot and make fists at my sides.

"Don't you say that about George! He's your friend, and you're making it sound like he's committing a crime, that we all are." I said to him, trying to call him out as it he as he stalked over to em to stand so close that I could see the sweat on his brow and in the hate in his brown orbs.

"You guys are committing a crime, all because you think telling them a few stories will make all that they were exposed to go away? Those sick fucking bastards deserve to be rubbed alive because of what they did and I don't want to be like the rest of you with a thumb up my ass and acting like dicks—" Joe was cut off before he could insult me even more when he heard someone walking over in our direction now, having me feel like Joe just ripped open my heart and stomped it to the floor with the heel of his foot.

"Liebgott." I kept my eyes on him as we heard Major Winters, looking at the bath of us with his hands on his hips in the middle of the hallway. As soon as Winters said his name, something switched off in Joe, having me see him take in a shaky breath now as he lowered his eyes to the floor and I just stared. I knew he was in pain, I knew he was trying to find his way back from where he was, but I also knew too that he didn't have to take it that far. It hurt, how he said it to me and made me feel more like a fool than anything. For some reason, it hurt.

Real bad.

"Liebgott, you were assigned to go on a run for me for the next few days," Winters said to him, his voice calmer than before when he was telling Joe to cease with his rant on me. Joe still didn't look at me, sighing in agitation now.

"I'm fine, sir." He said back to Winters, but Winters shook his head.

"It's not a choice. Come with me and we'll head to CP," Winters ordered him as he walked over to me now. I wanted to get out of there and not look at Joe for the rest of the day, It was making me really wish that I didn't go after him, but then again he had to know what we were doing with the kids and not just filling their heads with stories and false promises.

"O'Malley, everything okay with the children?" Winters asked me, yet my eyes were drilling into Joe's now as I moved away from him and nodded my head shortly.

"Yes, sir. Everything's fine." I replied, saluting him before I walked away from them both ad back down the hall without a second thought. It was not worth bringing to Winters what Joe said, I was never once to snitch on another person because of their attitude. I was still sore about it, how he talked to me like I was someone who was in his way. We were close friends, and now it felt different. I felt a small tear escape my eye as I wiped it away with my sleeve.

Damn Joe Liebgott. Damn him.


	26. Chapter 26

**April 11th, 1945**

**Thalem, Germany**

"Here you go," I handed some of the German civilians some more water from some of our spare canteens. They smiled, muttering "Danke" to me as I moved on to the next group of civilians that were in the square. Somewhere in the middle. near the mass amount of rubble and brick piles, a small quartet was playing with their violins and cellos, playing something so soft and so careful like they were walking on eggshells just to play. Something else was hanging in the air as smoke was floating to the sky, buildings were half open from the explosion that just came through, and the small stench of war was still lying around us as everything else was gray.

Some of the others were standing on the second floor of a building near the south side of the courtyard, which of course had the wall blown out so they were out in the open on the open floor plan. They were merely watching now as some of the others, like me, were walking around on the ground floor to help out those in need and to relieve them more of their pain.

"I'll tell you one thing about the Krauts. They sure clean up good." I walked underneath where the men were, hearing George say that out loud as he was out on the very corner of the floor and watching with interest.

"Yeah. All you need's a little Mozart." Joe grumbled back to him now as I passed there on the steps that were leading me to the men on the second floor. It made me look over across the way at the courtyard now, seeing Shifty walking into the courtyard and trying to find me. As soon as we locked eyes, he signaled to me with one loud whistle that the jeeps were ready since he went off to check if the jeeps were ready.

"Beethoven," I looked back up at the ceiling now to hear that it was Captain Nixon there, somehow I didn't see him make his way over to the room where the men were. I nodded at Shifty, seeing him grin at me and then walk away again as I composed myself. I didn't really want to be up there where I knew Joe was going to be, where I knew he would eye me and I felt the same sense of reject on his face as I did before.

Since we had our spat in the hospital back in Landsburg, I was avoiding him like the plague and not wanting to be in his company since I was still sore and wounded from his words. He knew I was sore, I could see him watch me from afar, how I would look away from him if we have brief eye contact or not even be close enough to him. He knew, and yet he wasn't doing anything about it. It was like he was licking his wounds more than anything now as I would just try to do my job and be with George more often. George caught on to what was going on, and he was about to talk to Joe about it to fix it, but I stopped him before he could.

Joe had to fix it himself.

I walked up the steps now, one at a time and I felt the steps were so heavy within my boots and feet as I felt another crank in my neck and another wave of tiredness was coming over me now as I reached the second floor and peered out to where the men were. I saw them all, looking out at Nixon now as he spoke another word into the open room.

"Hitler's dead." Nixon said in almost a calm tone, the others looking at him in shock and wonder.

"Holy shit." Joe said almost under his breath as he was holding his cigarette. I clutched the door frame from hearing the news of the very man who started this whole thing.

"Shot himself in Berlin," Nixon explained some more.

"Is the war over, sir?" Bull asked now, the question hanging over them now as Nixon sighed from his spot with the men.

"No. We have an order to Berchtesgaden. We're gonna move out in one hour," Nixon answered him, having me sigh in regret now since we were still going to be moving around in the war with no real motive. I walked over to the men now, my boots ringing in the air as they all looked at me. Some of them grinned at me, but they were still shocked from hearing about Hitler's suicide. I avoided Joe's eyes, who were looking at me still and I locked eyes with Nixon now.

"The jeeps are ready for us," I reported to him.

"Thanks, Sergeant O'Malley," He replied to me, the others getting up and having me look over at George now as the others were getting ready and mining their own. He gave me a warm grin and winked at me now as Webster spoke up finally.

"Why should we go? The man's not home. Should've killed himself three years ago, saved us a lot of trouble." Webster commented in his calm manner as he threw his rifle strap over his shoulder and stood on his feet. They filed out, leaving George to be last as Nixon replied to him.

"Yeah, he should've. But he didn't," Nixon said to him as he too walked out, leaving George and I to stand there alone in the open area now and facing each other. I was glad we are alone since I just needed to breathe and get my head straight.

"How you doin'?" George asked me quietly, having me shrug my shoulders.

"Fine, Just ready to get out of here before anything happens," I explained, seeing him nod his head in an agreement.

"This place is a killjoy, and who knows, maybe we can find some sun somewhere out in Berchtesgaden," He suggested.

"Of course, I need some color on my face apparently." I joked back with him now, seeing him chuckle in front of me now as we both looked back down at the courtyard now with the men who were up here minutes before were walking across.

"Have you talking to Joe?" George asked me softly now as he saw me locking eyes with the back of Joe's head as he walked in a stiff manner.

"No," I replied shortly, seeing George shift a bit from the corner of my eye now as he rubbed his face with his hand.

"It ain't my place to tell you how to handle it, but I think you should at least try to make it better between the both of you," I shot a look at him before he threw up his hands in defense, "I know he did it first and he was the one who pretty much chewed you out for the worst….but I know how you two are as friends and you're never one to let things lie as they are."

"I know, but he….he really made me feel like shit," I admitted to him already feeling back about admitting defeat with someone like Joe who was a hot head and was never likely to see things on a reasonable and cool level. I knew he had a temper, he threw one out on Webster because he was away for far too long and never fought his way back, but for him to lash it out on me for what happened to the Jews in the camps, that was way too far out of line now.

"Okay," George said, giving up on that subject of the conversation, "You're a grown woman and you can handle it on your own. How about we had to the jeep and just get ready to go over there, okay?" I was glad George knew that I could fight my own battles, and he knew that I could handle anything on my own. He himself has learned from me, and I was just grateful for him in general. My talk with Joe would have to come another day, at another time.

* * *

**May 9th, 1945**

**Bavaria, Outside Berchtesgaden **

_Dear Adaline,_

_Greetings from Philadelphia! I was bummed that I missed saying goodbye to you while you were MIA for like two minutes. I blew my leg off in Foye, I'm sure Babe told you when you got connected to the boys again but don't worry about it. I heard the girls love a one legged army man. Then again, I still have one girl in my heart named Fran, you should need her one day._

_Is Cobb still giving you lip about you and George? I should have smacked him good if I had the chance, but you know how to handle him and anyone else looking at you the wrong way. You have a good head on your shoulders, a good head and a great heart that's hard to come by and see theses days, believe you me. George is a lucky bastard, a very lucky bastard. Keep him in line for me,_

_Write back to me and let me know how you're doing. Maybe after the war if over, I can visit you and the little squirt, it would be great to meet her._

_Bill "Wild Bill" Guarnare._

* * *

"Jesus, how long does it take to get a damn launcher up here to blow the thing?" Perconte asked in a hint of annoyance now as we were sitting in the jeep, the top down since it was warm again in Europe and we were trying to make our way into the city were assigned to, but then again the German officers and higher army forces knew we were coming. So, we were waiting with a huge rockslide in front of the road, convenient for the Germans before they fled, a nuisance for us since we were trying to get in.

"Who knows, just enjoying the Goddamn day," Grant ordered him as I stretched my back in my spot on the truck and squinted from the rays of the sun hitting our faces now.

"I will enjoy myself when we get to the fuckin town." Perconte muttered as I looked over to the others that were hopping out of their jeeps, sick of sitting down and not moving their limbs and bones. I decided to do the same now, moving up and hopping down from the jeep. I too was trying to get my mind off of the fact that we were sitting ducks there and waiting for the rockslide to be moved. I had to move around, to get my mind thinking of things positive instead. If I sat for too long, my mind will go back to its old tricks. I was not going to have another round of mind games that was going to have me loose.

"Where are you off to, Adaline?" Grant asked me as I left the jeep I was sitting, having me shrug my shoulders.

"Just drinking in the scenery, Chuck." I replied, heading him chuckle now as I walked over to the edge of the cliff, seeing it dip down and the mass mountain on the other side of the river that was at the bottom of the cliff. Birds were heard in the air, the cool breeze that came through our area of the valley, the vast amount of green I was seeing in the trees and along the ridges and cliffs. Out of all the sights I have seen in this war, this was the most breathtaking place I have set my eyes on.

"What you think? We can shack up here after the war." I looked over to see George, standing next to me with a grin plastered on his face with his nearly cut hair and shaved chin and face, giving his image as boyish kind that made me forget that he looked like that before the war got to him.

"Well sure, with the money we both have from the war we can buy a real nice place here, maybe a mansion." I joked with him, going along with the conversation.

"Well, you do make more than me as a pilot," George added, having me giggle as we both were watching the ridge in front of us.

"I used to before I was transferred to be like one of you guys, sorry for your disappointment," I added, looking over at him now and seeing him watch me back. I was seeing how warm he was again, the sun on his face and how his brown hair looked so soft and moving soothingly with the wind that was there. I felt it move my hair too since it was getting longer now and the loose curls were back in pins and looking more military than anything.

"You look pretty damn beautiful, you know that?" He said to me, out of the blue and only for the both of us to hear, having me suddenly feel the blues there on my cheeks then and there and I really want to smack him for making me blush in front of the guys.

"Don't be bold on me now in front of the others, George." I reminded him.

"Can't help it, just had to tell you since I feel like I don't tell you enough," George explained with a shrug of his shoulders and his hands shoved in his pockets now. I knew he did this so that he wouldn't get in trouble with all who were watching, including officers who were checking on the men as we were waiting.

"Something tells me that we'll be back in another town with plenty of rooms to choose from and to explore together, since I doubt we'll be doing more patrols for German soldiers," George explained, almost in a leering manner and a cocky grin on his face as I shook my head from how he was playing this game so nicely and calmly.

"Don't play with me, George." I warned him, moving over to him an inch closer now as we heard jeeps coming our way now, two of them and I was tempted to look over and see who it was coming our way. But I locked our eyes with George and I saw him just smile at me and I wanted to lean over and kiss him on the corner of his mouth and have him keep it there for him to hold onto. God, I was such a bad sap for him now.

"Come on, let's watch the fireworks," George urged me, having me look and see that it was Sink in the jeep now and he was talking to Winters and a launcher was aimed at the huge rock block-aide. We walked over there, the both of us splitting off and having me look at him a bit longer now to see if he was going to be. He walked over to Perconte and Grant in their jeep, smiling at me and winking one more time before he turned and showed his back to me. I felt like we needed more moments like the ones we host had, the two of us not thinking about the war and all that happened, it would just have to wait until we got into that town with no one to watch us or judge us.

"Ah, there's Sergeant O'Malley. We were just talking about you back at CP with some of the other Majors," Sink explained to me as I walked over to stand next to Winters now who was watching me too.

"I hope it was nothing but good things, sir," I said to him in honesty and a small smile on my face. Sink chuckled as Winters grinned from ear to ear from how I said it to them.

"I don't think we could ever say anything ill about you, O'Malley. Not after what you have done with some of the men back in Landsburg to help with the young survivors of the camp. The were grateful for what you have done for them," Sink explained to me as I simply nodded my head.

"I did what I thought would be best," I admired.

"Good, I came here as well to tell you about your future career with the army and even the Air Force," Sink explained as I heard the first launch onto the rock slide, seeing some of the blocked rock fall down as they were reloading.

"What is it, sir?" I asked him, seeing Winters move away a bit since it was going to be a private conversation between Sink and I.

"Well, we have a delicate situation when it comes to your role in the army and air force and your….gender," I was a bit taken back that Sink was going to bring this up now, towards the end of the war and how we were on the upper hand. It made no sense how I was told this now, it should have been done later to be honest.

"I'm not following, sir," I said to him, seeing him shift a bit and having me look over at Winters now for some kind of support. He was watching from his own spot, not moving a bit as Sink cleared his throat in an uncomfortable manner.

"It's not a matter of you work ethic with Easy, because you have been performing beyond the standards of a Sergeant should perform. It is still a matter of a delicate situation that there are more protective protocols and rules that are applied to you because you are a female. Some of the higher officers will as though we should not be obligated to have these rules applied, thus thinking that you being in the army is not the best idea." It was like it was a huge punch to the stomach now on how he was assaying it so professionally, but it was still feeling personal to me.

I stayed silent through the whole thing, shifting a bit in my stance now and I was trying to hold onto my jacket sleeve and not fall to the floor in grief. Sink knew I was a good Sergeant, a great one. But he was more concerned about the rules that apply to me being a woman and how other old men in officer positions didn't want to write any more female driven rules or still apply to them. It made me more angry about it than anything, did he not know why I was here in the first place? It wasn't about be fighting for my country though that came later as the war drew on. It was all about my family, my daughter, and making sure she had a future.

"I'm sorry for any kind of problems that I have caused because of that, sir." I said to him simply, trying to compose myself and not seem like a bitch about it since I was still talking to a higher officer. I may have been mad about, but I was not going to show it at all.

"O'Malley, if it were up to me, I would have you stay with us all the way through the end of this Goddamn war and maybe to the Pacific if we are assigned to be there," Sink explained, having me look at him with wide eyes, "However, it is still not my call, not with this situation. I will keep you posted on what the final thought will be for you and your job here in the army."

"Yes, sir," I said to him, saluting him as he saluted back and backed the jeep up now, having em stay still as another explosion went off and the rocks were finally cleared and the soldiers were going back to the jeeps now. As soon as he was out of eyeshot, I lowered my eyes to the floor and breathed in and out, hoping that it was not going to have me do something stupid. I was fuming on the inside and out, my mind was going through countless scenarios as to how I was not going to like the final decisions, no matter what it was. This was not looking good in my favor, and I knew it was going to get worse from here.

"Adaline, you okay?" Winters asked me, walking over now and I felt like he was watching the whole time. I cursed under my breath before shaking it all and then saluting him before he could come any closer.

"Fine, sir." I replied, walking away from him now as I was finding my way back over to the jeep now. I had to compose myself since no one else was really going to hear about what was going on with me and how my life in the war was hanging in the balance.

I had to get it together, for the sake of the men in Easy, and for the sake of myself now since we were so close to being home.

* * *

"This place is like a fucking fairy tale," I was driving down the street in the jeep now, looking up and around at the buildings that were bare, if not even close to being touched by the war. The windows were effect and still in once nice, the colors were still rich on the walls and the window panes and the sweet scene of the mountain air and the flowers were lingering around us now as we all white flags and sheets hanging out of the window. I knew the place was deserted, they talked about how the people who used to live there already fled when they knew we were coming, But then again, it still felt off for us.

Very off indeed.

"This used to be a Nazi town," Christenson said in his spot in the back of the jeep I was driving.

"Says who?" Popeye asked him in confusion.

"Says Welsch. He told me after we blew up the rock slide. Doesn't look like one to me, looks more normal than anything," Christenson commented back to him.

"Well, they also talked about how the Nazis were normal people too, right?" Popeye asked.

"Sure," Christenson said back in return.

"I guess you can't really be sure what's right anymore, or what's real." Popeye ended the conversation on that note as we pulled up to the new CP that was on the other side of the mountain town. This was a Nazi town, but it didn't seem like it. I had to give Popeye that, how this was so different than how we thought it would seem. It seemed too good to be true, and it made it more surreal for me since I had my talk with Sink and how they were considering sending me home now because I was a female and they were not wanting to put up with me being in the army anymore. Who was I going to talk to about this? I didn't want to talk to Doc about it and burden with him, and Joe was clearly out of the picture.

What about George?

Once we settled into our spaces and apartments in our new town in the mountains and Alps, some of the men instantly went up to the Eagles Nest to find out what was hidden up there thanks to good ol' Hitler himself since Eagle's Nest was his last place to go to and hide before he kicked the bucket. I volunteered to drive some of the men in my jeep, having me winding up the hill slowly but surely now as the men in my jeep were watching with wide eyes at the fortress that we were creeping up onto.

Once we reached the peak and the massive structure there, I parked the car as most of the men hopped out and ran over since others were already inside and grabbing what they could grab and seeing what they could get their hands on. Once I turned off the car, I walked over to the front door that was left wide open and I could hear some of the hooting and hollering of the men inside.

"Where's Adaline? I found some things that she might like." I heard Babe's voice echo off the hallways as I walked in and was amazed at the mass amount of space and grandeur that was inside the big home.

"Hey, give me that so I can give that to her!" I had to smile from hearing George say that in almost a desperate manner.

"What the hell, Luz? You think she'll fall in love with me if I give to her or what?" Babe teased him as I walked down a couple of steps into the mass great room that have huge chairs, a library bookshelf on one wall and the wide windows that showed the Alps.

"She's already in love with him, sorry to say for you, Babe." Bull commented back to him, having me hear a chorus a laughter from wherever they were. I pondered around the room, already having a hard time to think that this was where Hitler used to walk, where he used to look out at the same Alps I was seeing, and even thinking of some things that would make me cringe and shake my head in retaliation. I only hoped that I wasn't the only one who was thinking like this, moving around the big room that I was in and then moving over to where I was hearing the noise the most.

The boys were still sounding rowdy when I made my way into what looked to be a grand study, which had more bookshelves, an oak desk that was massive, huge plush chairs and drapes over the windows. The boys were all sitting in the chairs or on the desk like they owned the place. I saw Bull looking at the drink bar that was in the corner, smiling in glee as he found the cigar box that was tucked away as George jogged over to me now with something in his hand that looked mostly like a large notebook.

"Hey, look at this!" He said to me, placing the book within my hands now carefully as I held it and looked down. It was a bit big for a regular book, thick letter and gold trimmings there along the sides for the border.

"It's gorgeous," I said to him in a shocked tone, having never seen something of this beauty or luxury when it came to a photo album.

"I think you should have it," George said to me as I looked from the album to him with wide eyes, "You can put all of your letters and pictures of Beth and Aaron in there instead of just shoving them in your pocket, you know?"

"George I…" I couldn't find the right words about it because it seemed just a simple thing for him to give, but then I couldn't find the right words to tell him. I was still reeling about my fight with Joe, my talk with Sink and how he was considering sending me home since he had nothing else for me to do for his men, and yet here George was, still being himself and still trying to be a good enough boyfriend to me when I was just trying to survive.

I grabbed his jacket, tugging him away from the others in the room who were too busy talking and laughing with themselves. I had to find some kind of room that I got be alone with George in, finding what looked like a walk in a storage room that was tucked away on the left side. We both went in, having me kick the door closed as I then leaned over to Georg before he could say a word to me and placed my lips on him. I felt the book almost slipping from my fingers, but George grabbed it within his own hand as he kissed me back and he slipped it onto the shelf that was next to us then wrapped his arm around me to pull me into him.

I had no real explanation as to why I did that, but it was mostly because I was going through enough for me to cauterize me as crazy, let alone unstable. But I also did it because I knew George was still in love with me then as I was fixing everything back up and we were finding a good spot where we were safe together. We weren't running or hiding, we weren't reaching our breaking point, we were just….there together once again.

We kissed for only a moment or two, having me pour in my feelings that were coming over me then and there before I pull away and I saw him out of breath, almost in a daze there like I slapped him in the face, but I kissed him instead.

"What in the hell was that for?" He asked, not in anger but in shock from what I did to him since it was something that I would never really find myself doing nowadays. I did it once or twice before we jumped in Normandy, that or George would do it when I was caught off guard. It was never up to this caliber.

"I'm not being a real great girlfriend these days, I admit that," I said to him out of breath myself, seeing him about to say something that was going to try and make me feel better, "You know it's true to, not matter how much you wanna say it's not. But I just want to thank you…for sticking by me all this time." I felt pathetic saying that to him, and yet I knew I had to get it off my chest since I knew I had to talk to him about what Sink said to me earlier that day. That talk had to happen, but not yet. I wanted this moment with George before I knew something else would happen.

George leaned in a kiss me one more time, this time the kiss was slower and sweeter, almost like he was milking this for all it was worth and as if we had all the time in the world there in the small closet together. I wanted this moment too, feeling candle my head in his hands and my own hands grabbing his arms and his jacket to keep them there. This kiss reminded me of the movies that I would watch as a child, the movies with the boy and girl kissing like there was nothing else in the world that was going to harm them. This was one of those kisses, I knew it was since I felt it all over my body that really made me wish that we were either away from the rest of the men, or somewhere where I wasn't standing and more in a bed.

Once he pulled away from me, having me feel how sensitive my lips were and how it felt like I was shaking just from one kiss he gave me.

"Jesus, George." I said to him in a gasp, my head was reeling from how it felt for him to kiss me like _that_, "Where did_ that_ come from?"

"It came from my heart," George replied like it was the easiest thing for him to say at that moment, "That, and the fact hat you still amaze me made me want to do that to you, and much more if we ever have time."

"And we will," I reassured him boldly, my arms going around his neck now and feel him press himself to me in a soft manner, "I promise you we will. And thank you…for the photo album. It might be a bit much."

"Hell, I think it's not enough," George replied in a breath of a laugh, "But I thought it was nice for you to keep all of the letters, pictures, everything from this war in one place now."

"And I know the first letter I'm putting in," I said to him with a soft smile on my face before I found myself leaning into him for another kiss, "The first letter you ever wrote me."

And we kissed for 7 more minutes in that closet.


	27. Chapter 27

That night, I was back at my apartment after talking and being with Doc for awhile, Shifty joining us for a bit and the three of us talking about what we were going to do when we got home. Shifty was looking forward to going back to Virginia, and Doc was more of the fence if he still wanted to go into medical school or not, leaning more on the not side of things. I felt as tough I should tell them about what Sink told me earlier that day before we got into town, but I didn't.

I made it back to my new apartment that they provided for me near the stairs on the lobby floor, sinking into the couch now and a roaring fire in the fireplace and with the thoughts Sink planted into my brain, having me really contemplate on what the next step for me was going to be. I knew I was a unique situation since I was a woman, I got that clearly from the moment I was assigned to be the driver for Easy and be in the army. Hell, I knew that when I was in the Air Force and how they were more reserved about me flying planes. But this was all because they didn't want to protect me anymore, they didn't want to tip toe around any more new rules for me. It was like they were getting lazy, or that they didn't want to waste any more money or energy on me. I had no idea why, but I had to tell the one person whom I trusted with this kind of information and this kind of delicacy because he knew what he was like for me.

I had to tell.

Which was perfect timing, since I heard him knock on the door with his knuckles there three times. I knew it was him, since others would address themselves before they would ask to come in.

"Come on in," I said to him, hearing him open the door slowly and then close it behind him, "Can you lock it for me, please?"

"Why is that, if I may ask?" He asked me in a light manner, locking the door as he was doing this. I heard the lock click into place and he then walked over to me where I was on the couch. Th room had a orange glow from the fire, having me sink into the warmth of both the flames and George's body heat next to me as he laced our fingers together, thinking that it was going to get me to look over at him now. But I was still winking with the thoughts of the Colonel himself as I let out one deep breath.

"Because what I want to tell you is going to stay between the both of us…for now I guess." I replied to him, having him look at me now with more serious there on his face and his hold on my hand tightening straight away.

"What is it?" He asked me, looking a bit scared now as I scratched the back of my head with my spare hand.

"Before we came into the town, out there on the highway and after you and I talked, Sink told me something that made me….made me think." I explained to him, seeing him face me a bit more from his spot on the couch.

"What did he say? You know that guy can sometimes he full of hot air from time to time, right?" He asked me, hoping to lighten the mood that was there.

"He told me that….that some of the higher officers were considering letting me go and taking me out of the army." I said to him finally, getting it out in the open now as George just looked at me in disbelief, I would be too because if I was in his position, it would not make sense at all. He said nothing for a moment or two, drinking it in himself now as I looked back down at the floor where both sets of our boots were together, my left and his right boot touching at the end.

"Why in the hell would they do that?" He asked me now. sounding a bit mad about it.

"You know why, George. Please don't make it say it out loud." I pleaded him, seeing him shake his head now with a sour look on his face.

"Because you're a Goddamn female with a group of men, which is utter bullshit in my opinion." He said back to me now, having me lean my head back against the couch now and breath out slowly with my eyes closed.

"I know, " I said back to him simply.

"What are you gonna do?" He asked me, sounding more calm about it than anything as I sighed and opened my eyes to look at the ceiling. It was given me a huge headache now when I was thinking about it more and more, and all I wanted to do just be able to move my limbs without thinking about what the words were haunting me.

"I don't know and I don't even want to care about it right now," I said back to him, hearing nothing from him for a moment or two before he released my hand now, having me look over at him and see him get up from the couch and walk over to the small kitchen area I had behind me in the open floor plan. I craned my head to look at where he was and what he was doing.

"Where do you keep the drinks around here?" He asked me, not in a bitter way, but in a curious way as he was opening some of the cupboards now and looking inside.

"You know I don't drink in that kind of way." I reminded him, seeing him chuckle and shake his head.

"I only want you to relax and not think about Sink anymore, so I figure a nice cup of wine will make you feel better," He explained to me, having me sigh and get up from the couch, "So, are you going to help me find the booze or no?"

" The second cupboard on the left from the window, and I do hope you know that I don't find the thought of you getting me drunk attractive." I commented to him now as he was going over to the cupboard that I pointed out to him and he grinned, finding a full bottle of wine unopened and he took it out.

"I would never do anything like that, it's like you don't even know me," He said in a mocked hurt fashion as I grinned at him while he was opening the bottle with the cork there, "Now, sit down and I can serve the both of us."

"What a gentleman, I think I struck gold with you." I joked with him now as I walked over to the small kitchen table with the four chairs there, sitting in one and watching him at work with the wine bottle. He got it open, the popping of the cork was heard and he smiled widely before he grabbed who glasses from the countertop and poured each one.

"You better believe it, sweetheart." He commented back to me, placing our two glasses on the table with one in front of me and the other in front of himself as he sat across from me now. I remembered the last time we did this, back when he surprised me with a breakfast when he saw me at my lowest and he tried to build me back up without realizing how big of am impact that he had on me now. I smiled at me, tilting my head to the side now as he took a slow drink from his glass and I did the same.

"So, let's talk about something else that does not involve the subject of…the war…..or even Sink himself because that in itself is a mood killer," George explained, having me giggle now from his stop as he spoke up again, "Tell me something else that I don't know about you."

"As if you don't know enough about me," I joked with him.

"I wish I knew more, much more than I can handle at the moment, which is why I'm asking you," He said back to me in a light manner as I took another sip from my glass. I had to think of something that I would tell him that I never did before about me.

"Let me see, well…The first time I thought I was really going to die….I mean way before the war…" I paused, thinking about the memory and how I haven't thought about it until now, "Was when I was around 6 years old and I almost drowned in a river in the winter time."

George said nothing but still kept his eyes on me now in interested as he took another small drink and I went on with my story, seeing it in my head.

"I was walking along the banks with my brother, the both of us coming home from the store that day since it was a snow day from school. We decided to take the shortcut on our way home, walk along the river there. it was freezing that day, almost as bad as Bastogne with the bite of the cold on my skin really, I thought it was bad then. Anyways, we were walking there and I saw how fast the river was going down the way and it made me lose my focus on where I was standing…I slipped in the river." I saw the river in my head and me slipping in, the cold around me and nothing but darkness and the fear of me dying there.

"At the time, I couldn't swim against the strong of a current, and I felt like I was being knocked around like a rag doll since there were large rocks there on the bottom of the river and my head slammed against one. My brother called out for me as I was feeling pain in my head and floating down the river, not being able to breathe or find my way back up to the surface," George's eyes looked a bit glossy then, but I couldn't tell as I took another sip and then took in a hesitant breath. For some reason, I smiled from thinking of my brother again and how much I have missed him.

"You know, at first I was scared that I really was going to die and that I would be in heaven with God, that God would take me to heaven then and there because I was a good little girl who did everything right. But when I opened my eyes again, I saw my brother swimming towards me and he was reaching out to me like I was hanging on thing rope with him and almost about to let go. I have never seen him, even under water, look that scared before in my life, even to this day. I found myself loving him more than I did before this happened. It sounds petty, I'm sure it does…but since then I knew I could trust anything with Aaron, even my daughter."

The whole scene was replaying in my head now, how little I was in the water and how it really did feel like a force was pulling me away from the living and towards death. Aaron saved me, more than just pulling me out of the river and making sure I had breath in my lungs and his jacket around me, but he made sure I was going to lie throughout the rest of my life without fear and without a sense of unsafeness.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" George asked me out of pure intrigue now, sitting across from my at the kitchen table and having me watch him take a sip from his glass.

"I didn't think you would really want to hear something like that…well not at first I mean. It didn't seem like a good enough story for you to hear about me," I confessed to him, "And…to me at least…I have never told anyone that before. It didn't seem like it was something I would tell on rotation over and over again." George grinned at me, a cocky grin at was only one that was hooked to the side then, so rare of a smile that it made me feel as though I could drown into a puddle.

"So, what about you?" I asked him now, already thinking that I have said far too much for my own liking and I now wanted to hear from him, "What story have you not told me about you yet?"

George thought to himself for a bit before he placed the glass he was holding right on the table now with no hesitance there on his face or how he was sitting there in the chair.

"I don't think I ever told you, one of the scariest and most exhilarating things that ever happened to me," He explained to me, sounding so sure about himself as I cocked my head at him.

"I'm more intrigued," I commented to him, wondering what he would be talking about. He then eyed me with the warmest of eyes, the brightest I have ever seen them and how they felt so vulnerable too. It was the next thing that he told me that made me both want to cry.

"It was when I first met you," I was a lost for words when he said that like it was some kind of proclamation, yet he looked right at me when he said it, "I know I told you that I was floored when I met you, not to mention speechless. But I was lying then, cause I knew how you would be when it came to flattery, and I won't lie to you now. I was beyond exhilarated because I have never seen anyone as breathtaking as you, no one. And I was also petrified because I didn't think I would be able to see someone like you ever again in my whole life. It sounds cheesy, almost like a bullshit kind of a card someone would get, but I don't know what else to tell you but the truth on how I feel about you."

"George," I said to him since nothing else was coming out of my mouth to stop him from this kind of proclamation.

"I mean it, Adaline. From the moment I met you, even laying eyes on you on that Goddamn airstrip, I had the most certain yet scary feeling in my chest that I will never feel so much adoration and emotion to any other woman that I have met, and I was willing to do it for you. Anything for you really, if only it meant for you to smile at me and even talk to me." George kept rambling on to me now and not showing any kind of hesitance in what he was saying, having me hear his tone almost sounding like he was about to break.

"All from one look," I said in almost a breath to him.

"One look can change everything about a person, Adaline….and you have changed plenty within me that has made me happy," George ended with his speech that he gave me that made me that made me sideline get up from my chair within a flash and stand there in front of the table and in front of George. I had no idea what I was doing with my body, but before I knew it, I was walking around the table and ended up in George's lap and his arms around me, the both of us kissing into oblivion and showering each other with all the love we had for each other. My body was doing this on its own, but my mind was only thinking of one thing, one word.

Love. Love. Love.

Compared to the other times we kissed, which were desperate and hungry and almost rushed because we didn't know when we were going to be caught next, this time it was slow, slow and deep how as he placed one hand in my hair though my pins and the other wrapping around me to not let me go. I traced his jaw as we kissed, our tongues touching so slightly every now and again. Before I was afraid to go this far with him, how I was feeling the way his hands were on my back and how he was peeling off my jacket off slowly and with intimacy, but it was no longer a fear for me. I wasn't hesitant about it. and I didn't show it when I rang my fingers into his hair and heard him moan back in return.

I have forgotten that we moved from the chair, standing up together but still engrossed with one another and moving to the bedroom, having us fall on the bed and fell the peace that we both have been missing for months, and it felt like almost years. We both were no longer caring, with every piece of clothing being stripped off like we were stripping a bomb maybe, carefully going with tender and warm fingers and kisses along the skin. Everything I had that would reserve me from this, from George, flew out the room and out the window as soon as we felt the sheets of the bed shield us, when we were one for the first time that night.

I had freedom again, all because of him.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of the soft breeze coming through my window, having me breathe in deeply with the scent of the flowers flooding the bedroom and my eyes were at first blinded by the natural light of the sun seeping through the white drapes. The cool bedsheets were covering me from the upper chest down near my collarbone since I was in fact naked there in the bed, and of course, not alone.

George was fast asleep next to me, but this time he was not snoring like he used to. No, he was sleeping silently and was on his back, his head away from me and his one hand above his head and the other in the middle between us, the bed sheets were pooled around his middle. I only watched him, not moving or wanting to since I feared I would wake him from his sleep. I could only watch him there with a smile there and a sense of new love blossoming from my chest into the air like it was a sweet perfume and a sweet new ray of light that I have never seen before. It made me want to bottle this moment up and never let it go.

Slowly, I moved over to the side of the bed on the floor where I knew I last left my Brassiere, or where George chucked it last night before I giggled from his antics. I grabbed it and pulled it on before I then reached for the shorts I wore, having me somewhat clothed now and slowly moving to stand up and feel the weight back underneath my legs and feet. After placing my jacket on to cover most of myself up, I felt changed then, not in the bad way like I committed some kind of sin, for it didn't feel like a sin. What George and I did, what we shared, was beyond the thoughts of sin to me.

It was love in its realist form for the both of us, so real and yet almost feeling like a dream now since we were still holding onto it for so long after we met back in 1942. It's been almost three years now since we became friends and beyond friends, but to me it felt like decades with him because of the war. I only wondered how we would have met if there was no war if there was no call to serve. Maybe it would have been walking down the street and brushing each other's shoulders, Or even it could have been seeing each other at a coffee shop, drinking at other ends of the shop and then George coming over to talk to me and swoon me off my feet. I knew he would be the first to speak to me since I was still so tongue-tied to speak to somebody new. There would have been so many possibilities for me since I couldn't bear to think of a place or time when we would never meet. It didn't seem possible and it would never be now. I could only think of the future.

Our future.

"Why are you out of bed this early?" I heard a grumble behind me as I was peering out the window into the morning and the sky. I only wished now that I was back in a plane, soaring through the mountains like it was a maze and tearing through the sky smoothly. It would have been a smooth ride, gliding like I was ice skating with nothing moving or shaking me down. I grinned from his voice behind me back in the bed, finally tearing my eyes away from the skies now and over behind me to see where he was on the bed.

George moved so that he was on his belly on the bed, both arms around the pillow his head was on and his smile was warm against the pillow as he was looking at me. The bedsheets were around his waist with his bare back and chest against the cool white sheets as I walked over to sit on the edge, looking down at him with a shy smile back on my face.

"Couldn't sleep in," I admitted, seeing him give me a cheeky look.

"Thinking too much of me, were ya?" He asked me in a coy manner, having me shake my head with my smile still there on my face. He reached over with one of his hands and he touched the jacket sleeve with his fingers, "I know I'm a sexy devil to think about on a constant rotation."

"What would ever let you think of that?" I asked him as he traced my jacket fabric with his fingers, and I slowly felt myself laying back down with him again in the bed, having me see him watch my every move now as I was on top of the sheets and facing him now, being close to him again as the sun was getting a bit higher and the cool air was coming over my bare legs yet I had no real heart to cover them. George then saw me thinking of myself again as I placed my head on the pillow again, close to him now enough for our heads to touch and yet we kept the small amount of distance.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked me, his smile was gone from his face but his eyes were still looking at me with love and supper there as I was facing him, seeing the firm line of his back and how it dipped into the sheet that stopped there on his waist. I reached out, carefully and slowly now as I traced his skin on his back with my fingers now while I moved to me side to face him and felt how warm his skin was against my own.

"About us, about what I'm gonna do after this war," I said to him simply, seeing him watching me as I was tracing pictures on his back and feel like I was going into some kind of haze. Just thinking about what I was going to when the war was over, that or when they ask me to go home early enough, it made me wonder now what it was going to look like and where I was going to end, "I don't know where I'm going to be, myself and Beth."

"Where do you wanna be?" He asked me, scooting closer now as our noses were touching, barely but it already felt like electricity.

"I don't know," I admitted, "Somewhere new I guess. Not in Boston, I need a place that's new I think."

"Come be with me," He said to me after I told him that, my fingers were still dancing on his skin and then my fingers were slowly moving to his hair to rake within the brown hair there that I could see, "We can live together in Rhode Island, the three of us and I can take care of the both of you."

"Take care of us?" I asked him, almost in a repeat now as he sighed and shook his head with my fingers going with the movement as they landed on the back of his neck.

"You know what I mean, I wanna take care of you because I love you that much, you and Beth." He reassured me.

"You haven't even met her yet," I countered with a grin, hearing him chuckle.

"I feel like I already love her from seeing those pictures and hearing about her in the letters." He answered back to me with confidence there on his tongue as he wrapped his arm around me to pull me closer to him, almost having me lose my breath now as we were pressed together with only the bed sheet to separate us. It was both thrilling and surreal at the same time as I saw the same glint in eyes that he had when we had sex the night before.

"Adaline, I wanna be with you and only you. I know how you are when it comes to thinking that you're not good enough to be loved because you're a widow with a daughter, but I don't see any of that as a burden but something that can make you stronger and a better person. I have never been happier than anyone else but you, I hope you know that."

"I do know that," I reassured him, having em already think about the small vision of the both of us and Beth in my head, somewhere in a house that could be cluttered but crazy, filled with plenty of things that would remind me of home. Of course, the main thing that it would be filled with was laughter, laughter, and good cheer.

"So come be with me, you and Beth and I can have a good life I think," I felt as though he was trying so hard to hold onto me and make sure I was not going to slip through his fingers then. I was too far gone in him to even move away an inch now since he was more than just someone to kiss and love, but a friend whom identified me as more than just a widow or a single mother, a comrade who saw strength in me that was worthy of being a pilot and a soldier, and of course a lover whom would saw a deeper love in me that was more than with beauty.

"What would we do, the three of us?" I asked him, sounding lighter than the seriousness that we had a moment before on our future together. With his arm still around me, George moved to hover over me and have me feel as thought I was the prey and he was the predator now, a glare of playfulness and his eye on the prize while he placed his other hand near the tip of my jacket against my neck and collarbone, giving me a shiver as he moved it away to expose my skin to him without any sense of threat but a sense of intimacy.

"Anything and everything," He replied to me, with a small smile on his face, "Swimming in the ocean in the summer, walking through snowy parks and having a warm fire to sit by. Maybe I can teach you how to fish," He suggested to me, tracing my collarbone with his fingers as I giggled at him.

"I do know how to fish since I too live on a coast as you do," I reminded him.

"You're full of surprises I guess," He replied back to me, having me nod in agreement with him as he went on with more thoughts, "We can find some things to do," We fell into kissed again, just as safe and gentle as they were the night before, and one again we were slow and sure about each kiss we planted one at other. I didn't know the actual shift and how ti affected me and made me this way with him, but it moved to the point where he was descending kisses on my jawline and down my neck to my collarbone, moving the jacket as his lips were finding more skin to touch and to caress and me just trying to breathe with each touch.

"It's always been you, my Adaline." He whispered against my skin like it was some kind of prayer that he was desperate to say as we were once again enthralled with each other carefully but fully and without shame or hesitation there.

My future was once again looking bright.

* * *

This town was slowly turning into our home now, we were so used to all of the buildings and the familiar sounds, jeeps coming in and out to deliver rations that were needed and news from other Companies and places to tell us about the war. I would go in and out with the news myself, come back with more news to tell the others and hearing more about howe we were about to win the war completely. One of those days we were told it was VE Day, Victory in Europe.

We were so close to being done with the war once and for all that we could taste it.

The Pacific was another topic we were talking about, mainly about how points were against each person in the arm and if they had enough to get sent home. The more points you get depends on your time in combat and what kind of heavy artillery you took and survived. Some were lucky enough to have so much that they could be sent home within a blink of an eye, others not so much since they hardly were touched and we going to be at the mercy of the army and where they wanted to send them next.

One of those unlucky ones was Shifty.

He was never wounded, too skilled and fast to be touched by a bullet. But it was still a sad fact to know that one of the best soldiers in our regiment and company, not to mention one of the kindest, was not going to see home any time soon. He was never one to complain about it, not like Cobb who would spew out hate wherever he would go, and Shifty would evener harm another person would of sight. So, it was more natural for the men to rig the upcoming ceremony that would be held on the anniversary of D-Day, in which one soldier would be sent home with or without the points needed to.

Shifty's number was called, with no other number in the helmet.

I said goodbye to him that afternoon after he talked to Winters and said his goodbye to him, the both of us hugging each other along the truck he was going to go in with another officer there picking him up to take him to the ship. I was sad I was losing a friend that day, getting a reassurance that we would meet up in Virginia or in Massachusetts. I was glad to know that I had one friend out of this war that would find me, and Shifty was a good one to hold onto.

Other days were filled wit wonder on when we were going to leave, and where we were going to go. Easy was being very much considered into being transferred to the Pacific, but it left me high and dry in the balance of things since I knew my own future with the army was slowly coming to an end. Sink never came back to me with the decision from the higher officers, not since we spoke back out there on the mountain highway, and it made me wonder if he really even wanted to care. I would try and occupy my time with talking to the others and going on long walks along the lake and the rivers that were there, but nothing would suffice for me and the running thoughts in my brain.

I hated waiting to hear what was going to happen to me, or worse, what was going to happen to the boys.

* * *

One of the nights was a bit on the quiet side, nothing to hear all around the town now as I had my jeep parked along the halfway point with other jeep parked and other drivers from different companies, though most of them were inside the safe house there parked along the road and were talking to each other as I was waiting for my jeep to be filled up by another private.

"Did you see these? I"m guessing a bunch of the kiddos back in town played." I looked over my shoulder at the soldiers showing each other the baseball bats that they found at another town, swimming in the open area of the room and laughing at the sight. Something shifted in the air that was uneasy now as the private walked back inside with an empty tank and my jeep being full, having me thank him before moving over to the drivers seat and was about to hop in when I heard another jeep coming by our way. This jeep, compared to the other ones that came, was rushing down the smith path now in haste that made me watch as the jeep stopped in front of the Safeway house, in front of me in a jolt that almost made me jump. Even the men in the house that were talking to each other stopped talking and looked out to see the private in the jeep stumbling out and trying to get his composure together. At first, I thought he was hurt since he was hardly staying up at all and had a dazed look in his eye. But then I saw how he was swaying, and as the other soldier filed out slowly with their eyes locked on the private, we all had the same idea in our heads.

He was drunk.

"Is this where we get the fuckin' gas?" He asked in a slur to me, having me still stay near my jeep now and placed my hands were on the top as some kind of safety reassurance that I was going to be safe. This guy looked slammed, beyond slammed to be fair as he was waiting for some kind of answer from me.

"Are you alright, soldier?" I asked him politely, seeing that he was merely a private. He eyed me, a glint was on his face now as I asked him the regular question and he slauntered over to me now like he was about to make some kind of move.

"You sound pretty….and look pretty." He said to me in a hiccup, having me think back to the plenty of times in the bar back at home and seeing drunk men trying to find amusement and love with women who were not interested at all. I stayed quiet as another soldier piped up, having me see that one of his hands was behind his back like he was hiding something and the other was tapping against his sleeve.

"Are you drunk, private?" One of the men asked the drunk soldier now glaring at him for some reason and I saw that he might be looking for some kind of fight then. I knew how drunks were, charismatic for one second and willing to fight the nest.

"Do I look fuckin' drunk to you?" He replied in almost a holler now as I shifted uncomfortably now, his eyes going back to me as I found my voice again.

"Someone get on the horn with the check-in station 3 miles east and let them now we have a private intoxicated here," I ordered someone behind me to say this, the man was giving me a hard look now.

"You go it," I heard a soldier reply behind me, about to move away when we all froze and my eye went open. The drunk soldier was hiding a pistol behind his back and now he was aiming it right behind me at the soldier whom I was thinking was about to report him in.

"You move, and I'll blow your brain all over the floor here," He warned now, voice still slurring but low as I reached lower into the jeep with my one hand without moving the rest of my body. I was taught to have something nearby that would be as close to a weapon as humanly possible, and since I was a tab bit smaller than the drunk, I had to think of something to use. So I knew I had a crowbar back there somewhere hide, having me wish I could find it without looking.

"I already shot one three bastards tonight: A limey….a fuckin Nazi officer….and one guy from Easy I think." My eyes went wide then, thinking of who it might be that he shot and how deep in the shit we were all in. I felt something long and thin there with my fingers in the back of the truck, about to wrap my fingers around it when the pistol was now pointing right at me. I froze, seeing a glare from him and he was walking towards me now with a predator like a walk.

"Maybe….if you can convince me otherwise to save your pretty ass had of yours from being blown out to bits…" He said, almost like he was trying to coax me over to him now, his eyes going up and down my body as he was close enough for me to spell the alcohol and the stench he harbored. I squinted from the smell, feeling him now about to press up against me and I was about to move away from him. He was faster, grabbed my shoulder and collarbone together, shoving me against the jeep now and having me yelp out in pain as the pistol was so close to being near my head.

"Shit! Back off of her!" Someone behind me warned him, but he looked over at him and I knew he silence them with that look, then coming back with his eyes on me now and I knew that look. I remember that look from times back at home and from a moment when I thought it would be worse for me since I was a female. He was going to take advantage of me, being a drunk and with the power in his hand of a pistol and being a male.

He was going to try was what I tried to think of.

"You know….I can just walk away from you right now and not shoot you…if you can just give me a small thing to remember you by…" He was desperate for some kind of power and control or even ease if I knew right, and he moved his rough and stubby fingers over to my jacket to move it out of his way for his stank of a breath to descend upon while the pistol was near my head still, almost touching my skin with the barrel. It was the same place George kissed, but his was with kindness and love, not this. This was dirty, wrong, and almost vile now as I felt for a split second he was about to rape me. I had to think quick.

So I did.

I wrapped my fingers around the crowbar in the jeep with my left hand, my right hand shoving up to where my heel of my hand jammed into his nose and he released me. He was howling and the pistol was out of the way for me to see him move back in a jolt, my left hand ascending with the crowbar coming across his nose and he fell to the floor within two seconds.

He was out cold.

I threw the crowbar down in a heap next to his unmoving body, but I knew he was still alive as I was shaking there against the jeep and I move the jacket back to cover my skin. Someone ran into the safe house and I heard him talking on the phone about a drunk here. I was breathing out a sigh of relief that it was all over within two seconds, and it could have been worse.

Much worse.


	28. Chapter 28

"You sure you're okay?" one of the soldiers asked me another time after I told him that I was fine. The drunk was still out of it now, sitting against the jeep now with handcuffs behind his back because of the soldiers finding a pair and throwing it on him before he would wake up again. It's been a good five minutes since we were waiting for the jeep that was coming to get the soldier from us. I waited next to the drunk, not moving a bit and looking over to see the other soldiers waiting by the door in the Safehouse.

"I told you I'm fine." I replied to him, trying not to sound short but still trying to calm myself from the close encounter with the thrilling soldier who had more balls than I thought he would.

"Ma'am, with all do respect..your hand is shaking." I looked down at my hand that was resting on the top of the jeep. It was shaking, almost in a jerked mind of manner and it made me try to stop it all by myself. I wasn't thinking of how it was twitching then. This has never happened to me before, almost giving me a sense of shock as the jeep pulled up, all of our heads snapping over to see who was riding in the car now. It was none other than Lieutenant Lipton, sitting in the front seat and then turning off the jeep and another person sitting in the passenger seat that made me look in surprise: Joe Liebgott.

"Oh shit," I muttered to now under my breath as they both walked over to where I was and where the drunk soldier was. Lipton looked concerned with the scene in front of him, the soldier with a bloody cheek and almost a broken nose, but it was still black and blue none the less. Joe, on the other hand, he was watching me with hesitance since we were still not talking to each other all because of what happened in Landsburg.

"Lipton, what are you doing here?" I asked him since it was still shocking to see him there.

"They called at the border checkpoint that I was in and informed me that you were here so I decided to come by and check up on you…"Lipton trailed off as he was looking down at the broken soldier next to my boot and he trailed off, seeing the blood there on his face and on the floor. Joe looked too, almost like something was shifting in his eyes from where he was seeing and I saw his hands near his sides making fists. I stayed still with my eyes going back to Lipton, but his eyes were seeing something else on me, near my collarbone now and I looked down in that area too. Some of my skin was showing, but I saw a shade of a bruising there where the solder was holding me there by force against the jeep, and I immediately grabbed my jacket to cover it as the soldier was about to wake up and was slowly blinking from his spot on the floor

"I'm gonna call back in the town and let them know what happened," Lipton said to me, having me wonder why he didn't address the bruise on my collarbone as he walked away before I could say anything. One of the soldiers followed him into the house now, having me hear Lipton talking on the phone a few seconds later now about what was going on and the soldier being there in agreement. The drunk was mumbling to himself, trying to move and get up, but the handcuffs in front of him were making it a struggle. Joe on the other hand, when I looked back at him to say something to him for the first time in months, he was looking right back at my collarbone that was covered and I saw anger there on his face and within his eyes and stance.

"Where the fuck am I?" The soldier asked now, clearly not getting where he was and what happened to me now as I then saw Joe look down at the soldier, his fist at his side was getting more nervous to look at.

"Did he do that to you?" Joe asked, having me wonder what he was talking about and who he was talking to. But how he was looking at the soldier now, his voice as back to being as bitter and sneaky as it was when I first met him in the United States. He then looked right at me, having me feel afraid of being under his gaze, "What did he do to you, Adaline?"

"He didn't—" I was about to tell him that he did nothing, that I stopped him before he could even touch me with his lips, but Joe immediately grabbed the soldier and threw him up on his feet with a jolt and with a sudden notion of strength and a flare of rage in his eyes. He slammed the soldier into the hood of the jeep and threw back one hand, punching the soldier hard in the face and having me hear the soldier gasp and scream in pain. The others that were watching the whole time ran over and peeled him off before he could do more damage than I thought he would. They shoved him off and held him by his jacket sleeves. I ran over to him to place my hand on his chest to keep him there and not have him make a stupid mistake of fighting a drunk man, not even thinking about our fight but more of his own well-being.

"You son of a bitch! You better not have laid a fucking finger on her or I'll break it off!" Joe growled at him in a deadly tone now as he was being held back and I watched him in fear. Lipton ran out to see what else was going on, a more serious look on his face and he was standing between the both of us.

"What happened?" He asked, having me look over at Joe now who was glaring at the drunk, having me see more blood on his jacket and face now and he was hunched over on the hood of my jeep again.

"He touched her," Joe growled out loud, making me hear the sickness there in his tone and how he was being held back by two men and his eyes were drilling with the murder that that he wanted to commit. I moved away from Joe now and stood in the middle, giving myself a bit of distance.

"What?" Lipton asked, having me suddenly find my voice again.

"He didn't do anything like that," I countered, the both of them and the soldiers were looking at me now to see what was really going on, "He was going to try to, but I stopped him and almost broke his nose."

"It's true sir," One of them replied as he was still holding Joe's jacket and arm towards him to keep him steady, "She defended herself against him before any one of us intervened."

"Well, this soldier was the one who shot Grant and he is ordered to be back in town with the others. We were ordered to find him." I glared at him now as one more soldier, the one who talked with Lipton in the Safehouse, grabbed the drunk and walked him over to the jeep Lipton came in. It was suddenly making sense, the man before I knocked him out for almost raping me in front of the soldiers there, he told me that he shot someone from Easy, along with a German soldier and an English officer too. It was Grant hat he shot, and apparently the rest of the men including Lipton and Joe heard about it.

"He shot two others," I said to him, finding my voice again now as the man was being shoved into the back and he grumbled a bit in his spot. Lipton looked back and forth between myself and the men to make sense within his head of all that happened.

"I suggest that you come with me and you can get checked out and make sure you're okay," Lipton finally said to me, having me nod as he looked to the soldiers and Joe, "He can come with me too. I can take him."

Joe was then released as Lipton, Joe and I walked over to my jeep now, the soldier who was handling the drunk got into the jeep that he was in and started it up, "I'll follow you guys in the jeep with him and make sure he's handed over to you."

"Thank you, private," Lipton said to him as I sunk into the backseat of the jeep now, feeling like I was having a headache coming in and my hand once again on the top of the knee shaking again as Joe got back in the front seat and Lipton started the jeep up. None of us said a word now, but I saw Joe looked over his shoulder at me now as I was looking down at my bouncing hand that was now evolving to me knee now with the after effects of what happened with the soldier.

* * *

"Wait here and I'm gonna tell the others," Lipton explained as I was sitting in a large lobby back in Berchtesgaden, an hour or so later since we came from the Safe House. Once we arrived back in town, the soldier was escorted away from us to a deserted room, locked in and the soldier standing guard outside of it since we were going to wait and hear from the Captains of his fate. I was more worried about Grant, whom apparently was shot in the head and was taken to a German doctor to see if they could treat him because it was a brain injury. Doc was with Grant, so I couldn't find him and see if he was okay himself, and Shifty already left to go home. I had no idea where George was and if he knew what happened to me, so I was just left there in the room with Joe, who didn't leave my side while they were bringing in the drunken soldier from the jeep.

"Thank you, sir." I thanked Lipton now as he gave me a reassuring small smile, in hopes that it would make me feel better about it than anything else. He walked away, having me be left there in the lobby now with Joe there next to me, sitting in his own chair now and his hands resting on his knees, looking dead ahead and some of the anger still flickering there under his skin and within his stance.

I didn't know what to talk to Joe about, other than the fact that I wanted to know why he would almost kill the soldier with his bare hands without even thinking about it at first. It made me really wonder what was going on with Joe, and if he was truly okay.

"How's the bruise?" Joe asked, his voice ringing out in the lobby now and it still sounded raw to me as I looked over at him.

"I can handle that bruise," I answered, seeing him look back at me now with his eyes looking fragile and like he was losing strength, "I was more worried about you almost killing that soldier with your bare hands."

"He deserved it," He replied back to me in almost a bitter manner since we were still on the subject of the guy, "After what he did to you—"

"Almost did," I interrupted him now, watching him shift a bit in his chair now as I said that to him, "He never got close enough to do real damage to me before I hit him over the head and broke his nose."

"Good riddance," Hoe mumbled, having me rub my eyes and squint when the heel of my hand made contact with my face now. I forgot how much it hurt that I did that to him with my own and now it was aching almost to the point where it was hurting on my upper arm now. I squinted a bit, a jolt of aching pain came up and through me now as Joe looked at me now in concern.

"You okay?" He asked, getting up from his seat and walking over to me. I looked down at my hand, seeing a barely there bruise as Joe knelt down in front of me on one knee and he then took my hand within his own, inspecting it himself before he looked back at me. I saw the shift there on his face and within his eyes, how he was holding my hand again like we were friends again, like nothing happened or was said between us that was ill.

"I've forgotten how much it hurts to hit someone in the face," I commented back to him, seeing a small flicker of a smile that came through his face, but only a flicker.

"You've hit someone before?" He asked, trying to remain a stoic emotionless man in front of but it sounded so casual there in front of me.

"Once or twice, had to defend myself like I just did with the bastard in that room," I explained, seeing him shoot a look in the same room the man was being held it, another wave of hate was over his face and it made me watch him intentionally.

"I should clobber him in a good one to the jaw," He said in almost a vow.

"Why would you do that?" I asked since I had to know what was going on in his mind and how he would switch on and off on a dime. He looked back at me, the hesitance there in his look as he finally looked over at me again and he was taking a shaky breath now.

"Because he almost abused my friend….shot my other friend in the head…and I feel like utter shit from what I said to you back in Landsburg that it kind of….all came over me within seconds when I hit that guy back there on the road," Joe admitted to me now as he was sounded calmer and softer then, the both of us being the only ones who were in there. I felt bad for him, but having all of that bottled up within him and then he had to blow it up on one person who happened to be in the way.

"I've been trying to find a way to tell you that I'm sorry for how I acted towards you…what I said to you what no even close to being right.." Joe trailed off, and I could see he was struggling with this kind of apology.

"You weren't in a good spot back there, none of us was." I tried to reason with him, already feeling I was kicking a puppy and seeing the after effects now since I was sore with him for months and not willing to go and try to fix it myself.

"It wasn't an excuse to treat you like that, of all people in this Company I had to bitch at, it had to be the nicest one who's a saint compared to the rest of us," Joe went on, having me just sit there and drink in the fact that Joe wanted to have the pride still on his side, "can you accept an apology from me, Adaline?"

"Joe, there's nothing else to talk or think about," I said to him in reply, already wanting to mend what I thought, or what we both thought, was broken and unable to fix, "It's all fine between us now, okay?" I never want this to kill him all over himself, or for anyone really. We were still holding hands between us, and I didn't have the real strength to let him go just yet and see him disappear from me.

"Okay," He replied, having me sigh in relief now as were both back to being on the same page, with good grace and our friendship was mended again. We had a small moment of peace that was hanging in the air now, but it never felt safer than ever. It means a good enough deal to me that he wanted to defend me against that man, but then again it felt foolish that he did that or else he would have gotten hurt himself.

"How did you find out about Grant?" I asked Joe now, thinking about grant again in our moment of silence.

"He was driving a jeep on the road with two other privates and they found the bastard on the side of the road with two others he killed. Grant tried to talk to him and get the pistol out of his hands, but he shot him instead." Joe explained to me, having me feel bad about Grant now and hope that he was doing okay with that German Doctor along with Doc.

"You guys went out to find him?" I asked him as he shifted and got up from crouching in front of me and he walked over to drag the chair over a bit more be closer to me now.

"After we brought Grant in and got him that doctor, we were all sent out to go and find him and bring him back alive. Spiers wanted a manhunt on him, so Lipton and I went out to checkpoints in the area to see if he stumbled there." Joe explained as he slumped into the air now, leaning his head back and sighing out like he was holding it in for far too long. I then thought of another person, having me panic a bit as I was cradling my hand again from another holy of ache there within my muscles and bones.

"Where's George? Did you know?" I asked him, not wanting to now desperate him it or give any hint. Who knew at this point if Joe knew about the both of us or if he cared.

"Last I heard he was with Perconte and O'Keefe doing down the South side of the town, combing the area over there and near the lake in case he was gonna swim for it," Joe replied, opening one eye to look over at me now, "He was worried about you, you know."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, sitting up a bit now to hear what he had to say about George.

"He didn't know where you were, not specifically. None of us did, all we knew what that you were out in your jeep to get gas, but we didn't know where." Joe answered.

"Did you boys think I was going to be in some kind of trouble?" I asked him in wonder now as I could hear some doors opening at the front of the lobby. We both looked before Joe could reply back to me, having me see that it was some of the men in Easy now, walking over to us now and they were looking determined.

"Holy shit, there she is!" I got up from the chair, Joe following me now as we both stood there while the men in Easy were walking over to us now. I was waiting for them to scold me a bit now, thinking that I was off on a joy ride when all of this was happening. Most of them looked relieved from seeing me, grins on their faces and sighs of content as I was approached by all of them.

"We didn't know where you were," Christenson said to me as Popeye gave me a hug and Bull hugged me as soon as I was free, "Gave us a scare there Ace."

"I wasn't going on a joyride or anything, I swear," I reassured them as Babe rushed over and hugged me close, "I just went to get some gas in the jeep."

"Did you hear about Grant?" Bull asked as I heard one more pair of boot rushing over in our direction now. I nodded my head sadly, already thinking about him again and it was making me sick.

"Joe told me," I answered.

"You two are buddies again?" Babe asked in almost an amused tone.

"Fuck off," Joe replied back to him in a scoff, seeing a few smiles back on their faces. Someone was weaving their way over to me now, having me see the face of George there and I smiled at him as he looked like he was about to have a heart attack from seeing me there and not dead on the side of the wall.

"You scared me half to death, Adaline," He said to me as he rushed over and hugged me so close that it felt like I couldn't breathe. I just hugged him back, not wanting to fight him at all in front of the others of what it means to be worried about me, but as he rubbed his arm against my bruised hand, I squinted in pain and he pulled away quickly to see what was wrong.

"Holy shit, Ace. You got a big shiner there on the hand, how did that happen?" Malarky asked me now in wonder as they were all seeing the hand that was injured there. Joe shot me a look to see if I was going to be the one to explain it to them now, if they wanted to hear all that happened to me with the soldier that was still arrested and held hostage in the room down away from them.

"I ran into the soldier at the Safehouse down the road, he was trying to get gas from me…and I knocked him out," I replied to them all, seeing their eyes going wide now as I shifted a bit in my spot and reached up to make sure the collarbone was being covered too and nothing was being shown to ask more questions to me. So far, it was working for me.

"How did you manage that?" Perconte asked me.

"Like she couldn't herald herself on her own, Perconte." Martin replied, smacking him upside the head and the others chuckling with him.

"Crowbar to the face did it good," Joe said to them all, they were being shocked from the news.

"No shit, you saw it?!" Talbert asked him now and Joe was shaking his head.

"Naw, but she told me and some other privates saw it," Joe added, but I shook my head from him.

"I broke his nose first before hitting him over the head," I corrected him.

"I hate to be on your bad side….ever." Martin said to me sincerely now as they are all nodding in agreement. We then heard a noise from behind us, all of us looking from our spots and seeing that it came from the room where the soldier was being held it. It was like he was crying out for someone who can get him out from behind held hostage. Some of them had no idea what the noise was, but others caught on.

"Is that him?" Popeye asked quietly. having me looking back at the others now and see then getting defensive and angry again from the thought of the man being right there within their reach.

"Yeah, it is," I replied carefully, some of them were not looking at each both as to see what the next step was going to be now.

"Let's go straightening him out then," Joe said in a low tone next to me, having me look at him now as he was staring at the glass doors that were between ourselves and the man they were about to target. At first, I wanted to stop them from doing something that didn't seem close to being normal. But then again, they are mad not only about what happened to me, but what happened to Grant. I could not control what they wanted to do with him, so most of them started to move away from me now and then over to the glass doors as I watched with lead in my feet. They all failed in, one by one now as they finally closed the doors, leaving me to see two people stayed behind with me in the lobby.

George and Talbert.

"You're not going in there?" I asked Talbert now as he was watching the door with wide eyes and a lump on his throat. George looked at him too now, wanting to hear his answer as he once again walked over to be close enough to me to almost have our fingers touched at our sides.

"I don't want any part of that at all," he replied in a grumble, going over to the chair that was farthest away from the door when I could hear on the other side some of the men yelling at the one soldier and grunts being heard. Oh god, they are hurting him.

"Come with me and get some ice for your hand, okay?" George whispered to me close enough to where his nose was touching my hair near my ear now. I nodded in agreement, feeling him lace our fingers together and tug me along to another smaller hallway now with a bit of a pep in our step. I could still hear the others in the bigger room beating the soldier to a pulp now as we found the small table against the wall with the bucket of ice there that someone had to have applied there earlier that night for some drinks.

"Let me see," George said to me now in his softer tone as he reached over and grabbed a few cubes before shoving his spare hand in his pocket and pulling out his handkerchief and shoving the ice inside the fabric. I gave him my bruised hand, seeing him place the ice there on the stop of the damaged skin and it felt so cool to me.

"So..…you hit him hard with a crowbar?" he asked, almost sounding a bit light with this conversation now as he was holding the ice there against my hand.

"The only thing I could grab from the jeep as he had a gun to my head," I replied to him, seeing him watch me. I was seeing him trying to control his anger there, it was clearly shown there in how he was holding my hand within his two hands and how he was watching me. He was better at holding his temper than others, but then I remember how he handled Cobb months before when Cobb called me a whore. He then looked down, his eyes going big and I winced, knowing that my jacket collar moved and my skin was seen there, he saw.

He saw the bruise there.

"What the hell?" He asked me, moving one of his hands from mine and then reaching over to touch the bruise there on my collarbone and I watched him, trying to find a way to tell him without him storming off to kill the man with his bare hands.

"When did this happen?" He asked me, his eyes going back to me now as I felt as though all the strength I tried to hold in for the first few hours after this incident made me now really think that I no real reason to still stay strong anymore. I breathed out shakily now, George seeing that this was affecting me now and he placed his hand on my cheek to watch me as I shook my head. I saw it all over again, the man in front of me and how he was pressing me in front of the jeep like he was making sure I wannest going to go anywhere anytime soon.

"He was going to….he tried to….shit." I muttered, feeling a tear escaped as I closed my eyes and breathed really slowly through my lips now as it felt like his hand was once again was being pressed there and prevented me from running away and from being free. It wasn't that I couldn't handle it at the time, I knew I could take him because he was a drunk and it was not my firs time fending for myself against someone intoxicated. But it was the fact that it was in the dark, in a place that I was no used to, and it scared me to know that I really could have died there with a gun to my head and how close he was to either exposing me to the night and taking me there by force.

"Hey, look at me," I opened my eyes to see George there, up next to me with such gentleness that it was a huge contrast to the man who tried to pursue me. He pressed his head against my own, so gently like I was once again made of glass compared to him, "You got yourself out of there and you're not going anywhere near him. I won't let that happen, okay?" I nodded my head as he said this, smiling at me so sincerely now as he pressed his kiss against my cheek and holding it there for a moment or two. I was surprised on how he was handling it, not running off to seek revenge for me, or even yelling at me for how I handled it. No, he was being gentle enough with me and now showing any kind of pain or anger.

"Thank you, sweetheart," I thanked him, pulling away from him a bit and staring at him with a warm smile, "I'm going to lie down for a bit."

"You want me to come?" He asked me, having me hear another round of grunting and punching from the room and having me look back at the lobby where I can see Talbert, looking a bit grim at the whole thing and staring at the glass doors from his spot on the floor like he was about to piss his pants.

"Stay here with Talbert, he needs a friend here," I said to him, George looking over too and also looking a bit worried. He nodded in agreement as Talbert slowly melted into one of the chairs and his foot started tapping without him realizing it.

"Okay, as long as you're okay with me not being there with you…." George sounded like he was trying to find some way to get to be able to be with me. I smiled at him and shook my head before I kissed him softly. He framed my face with his fingers and then pulled away after he briefly kissed me back. I moved away from him now to give us a few inches of space.

"He needs his friend here, and I need to sleep so that the two shiners I have now can die down by the morning," I reassured him, giving his hand one more squeeze, "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said back to me, the both of us walking over to Talbert together and I was continuing on my walk to the doors that would lead me outside to my own apartment across the street. I breathed in the air, the cool and awkward feeling of the bruise on my collarbone was stinging on my chest now from the cool wind that was coming in. I sighed and looked up at the sky now, hearing the silence of the town and feeling better that I wasn't hearing anything else that could upset me. The moon was hanging high up in the sky now, a couple of stars were scattered along the black canvas and it made me hope that I was going to come home soon, very soon now.

So close, I could reach out and grasp it.

* * *

The next morning I was finally able to sleep in, for the first time in a long time because of my constant need of being with the jeeps in the morning to move out to another town. Now, since our schedules were slow and were more lenient, we were getting sloppier with how we were walking around and presenting ourselves. I was a victim of it too as I got on my combat uniform and then walked over to the tall mirror in the bedroom, wondering how I was looking now from last night and all happened.

I saw the bruise along my collarbone being showing along the edge of the jacket collar that was against my skin, now seeing it was looking worse and black and blue along the skin and on top of the bone. My bruise on the hand was looking a bit worse too, another shade of darkness against my pale skin. I felt like I was a battered victim and I was recovering, yet it never really was going to be a part of me since I would never let something like that happen to me.

I was still shocked from what I was seeing and feeling, the ache on my skin which made it a bit harder for me to put on my clothes or even hold something on my injured hand. I would just have to make sure I would go on with my day and try not to show the fact that last night was still going to haunt me over and over again from the smallest of things.

It was another day to wear a brave face.


	29. Chapter 29

_I had a dream of my life with George, or the life I thought I was going to have with him. I was in a small house that was tight but comfy at the same time, having me feel the warmth of the sun on my skin as I walked down the hall and saw the plenty of pictures that were hanging on the wall. I looked at each one, seeing that George and I were in each one of those pictures now and smiling like nothing else mattered in the world. I wondered when we took those pictures, seeing the youth within those images and how we were enraptured with each other, almost like we were teenagers again._

_I somehow made me way over to the living room now, seeing the couches and chair arranged to be looking out at the open living room window now that was showing the sea and the ocean rolling in softly against the beach that was so close I could reach out and touch it. Knick knacks were all over the place, fleece blankets over chairs and the couch and a fire going in the brick fireplace. I looked left and right, somehow making this place feel like home and yet I had no idea what kind of place it was._

_A faint sound of music was heard from the record player that was playing in the corner now as I heard someone running over in my direction along the hardwood floor, having me look and see, in what felt like slow motion, a little girl running across the living room with a big grin on her face and a long cascade of strawberry blond hair flying behind, looking soft in the wind and her long cotton dress going along with her like she was an angel. I knew that face, I somehow knew that face now as she was running past me like I was a ghost now, going to the side door that was going to lead her out to the front of the house that had a patch of green grass I grinned from my spot, seeing that she was taller and yet looking more mature within her face and her arms. It was Beth, and now she looked like she was at least 9 or 10 years old._

_I was finding myself following her out of the door, seeing her skip over to two smaller children who were younger than 5 years old, the two of them were playing together and then seeing Beth and smiling. One was a girl, long brown hair that was curly and short around her face and to her jawline that made her look like a doll and bright brown eyes, giggling in glee as she waddled over to Beth who hugged her close. The other child was a boy who looked a bit older now, strawberry hair swept away to the side and dark brown eyes that made me instantly think of George and how his eyes looked. It made my own heart swell from seeing the three children because something inside of me told me that they all were my children._

_My children with George._

* * *

I woke up, still already being embraced by George in the same bed as me now as the morning was creeping up on us again, early morning as I felt George stir next to me. I was still seeing the images of the dreams in my head now, those children and how they looked like myself and George in the perfect mixture and combination.

"You have a bad habit of waking up too early for my liking, sweetheart," George mumbled to me against my shoulder now with his lips and I chuckled, feeling reach over and laced his fingers with my own now in front of me and I felt him snuggle into me more, "I don't wanna do more drills todays."

"Lucky for you, I have to go and seal my fate with Sink and see what he wants to do with me." I replied back to him as I rubbed my eyes with my spare hand and sounding a bit bitter about it. I was going to meet with him and see what he was thinking about doing with me, yet I knew it was probably going to end up with me being sent home and I was not going to look forward to it. It was just as close to getting a root canal, and George stayed quiet for a moment or two before he spoke up again.

"What do you think is going to happen?" George asked me tentatively now, almost like he was afraid to ask me since he knew it was a sore subject for me to talk about.

"I don't want to say I know what's going to happen, but I do." I said back to him, facing the window how and hearing some of the men already walking around outside on the sidewalk and they were already having their one lives to worry about. I was not really looking forward to getting out of the bed like the rest of them and put on a brave face.

"Would it be bad of me to tell you to think more optimistic about it?" George questioned me as I then shuffled around to move to face him on my side, seeing him look at me in worry. He hated it too, that I was going to be kicked out of the army not instead of earlier because of the fact that rules were no longer needed for me. I was also getting the hint that the other boys in Easy were getting the hint too and they were catching on to what was going on, I only hoped that they didn't know the whole thing because it would be more awkward for me.

"I don't think so," I answered him back softly, biting my lip in the process now as I was thinking about it more, "I'm just feeling sick about it."

"I would be too if I was dealing with a bunch of old men too," George joked with me with a smirk on his face. I giggled, seeing that he was trying to lift me off from this awkward feeling and day that was already blooming in front of me, "I would just walk out of the room before I could imitate one of them and get in more trouble than I am worth."

"I would pay to see that actually," I replied, breathing out slowly and just hoping that I knew what I was doing that day in front of the other officers. Was this going to be my last day in Berchtesgaden, with the men in Easy?

"Let me know how it goes after it's all over, okay?" George asked me close enough for me to hear him as we were staying so still in the bed and more light was coming in to make sure I was fully awake and fully alert. I nodded to him, sneaking in a kiss to his head now as he was staying close to me. All I could do was carry on what I knew I did right and what I did fully. I was going to survive, whether I was sent home or not.

I was going to survive this.

* * *

"Adaline, O'Malley," I was standing in front of all of the officers that were assembled there in one of the grand offices of the apartment complex, the rest of the floor was closed off. I was standing alone there with my hands behind my back and my stance still stiff now as I only had Major Winters behind me as my support for my side of the conversation. He was standing in attendance for me, as by request from Sink since he knew I would need another set of eyes and ears. The rest of the men I have no met yet, except for Sink who was the head of the conversation now.

"You records have been addressed and looked through thoroughly since we spoke last some time ago," Sink explained to me now as I was still watching him with hopefully a open head and heart about what was going to happen,"You have served with the American Air Force since 1942 where you trained at Avenger's Field and then you were transferred to be one of the drivers and transporters for Easy Company, is this correct?"

"Yes, sir," I replied back to him, seeing him nod his head as I watched him look down at the huge file in front of him on the top of the desk, having me wonder if that was my own file that he held in his hand.

"Your role here in the arm with Easy company has been nothing but grateful for us in helping the men with your leadership and willingness to serve. However, we are calling your service to the army as a matter of some urgency, because there are laws that were needed to be in place for you to be under our protection and service." Sink explained some more, having me squint inwardly again to hear that they were really hating the fact that they had to provide more laws and rules just for me, once again making it sound like a burden more than anything. "I hope you do understand that this is not some form of punishment, Sergeant O'Mally."

"I understand, sir," I replied to him once again, seeing him look over at the other officers who were present and they were giving me a gruff look, like they were intimidated of me and what I was doing there within the army under their very nose.

"Giving the circumstances and the need for more soldiers now in the army, you can be used as a liable Sergeant for Easy, and the Air Force is also wanting you back on their good graces because you would be one of the last WASP members that are still working in the war since others were either sent home, or killed in action without any real army ranking. You are the first to do so, which also raises some question on our part." Sink explained, now having me raise an eyebrow to him now in confusion.

"What kind of questions are being raised, if I may ask sir?" I brought it up to him, instantly seeing some of the officers looking at me in shock and shifting a bit now since I was speaking out in front of him Sink now. But he knew that about me, so he wasn't scared or shifted about it as he looked at me directly in the eye.

"If there is now going to be females of a higher ranking in brutal, not to mention high staked battles and missions of wars, then we are going to have safety regulations and how far we are willing to go with men and women under our command, moral questions that I know will be brought up to us when this war is over or even before it ends." Sink explained to me as another officer was now going to speak.

"We are already having other majors and even the general himself wondering if we can even allow women in battles and operations that are originally meant for men—" He was about to tell me and I could feel like I was about to counter back with him when Sink raised his hand for him to fall quiet and Sink looking behind at me Winters now.

"I want to hear from Major Winters himself, since she has been under his command for most of the war since January now," Sink said to the group as Winters walked up a bit to stand next to me. I kept my eyes ahead, but seeing Winters from the corner of my eye made me feel a bit safer being in a room with a bunch of strangers.

"Sergeant O'Malley has been under our care and supervision since she crashed in Bastogne and Colonel Sink assigned her to us and placed her in charge of our transportation," Winters informed the group now as I stayed so still to hear what he had to say about me, "She is a good soldier and works to the best to her abilities, I know for a fact that she saved some of us through dropping some rations in our favor. If it wasn't for her, some of us would be dead from starvation and lack of medical supplies."

"But what about her being a soldier?" One the officer said to him now, looking at me like he was trying to kill me with those eyes and as if I was lower than him.

"She fought for her country while she was flying a plane and shooting down the German plane that was about to assassinate our men in Bastogne, also providing aid to the camp survivors in Landsburg," Winters answered him within seconds, having me hear the seriousness there within his tone and how he was trying to carry the both of us now in his fight for me to stay with the men, "She served us with her intense training of flying and learning now to navigate, which is far good enough for me as her major in Easy Company." I wanted to smile and hug Winters when he said that, but once again I could do nothing as Winters fell silent again and some of the officers were looking at each other to try and silently tell each other what to do and where to take this conversation.

"O'Malley…have you ever shot a gun at another person, a German soldier?" One of the officers asked, no one talking and watching me for my answer. I was thinking this was some kind of test on me as I breathed out slowly through my nose now.

"No, sir," I replied.

"Have you ever been through Combat training before the war?" He asked me again.

"Not though the army, sir," I replied back to him cooly now.

"Do you consider yourself as one of the members of Easy company?" He had to ask me that question now, seeing Winters look over at me now with a look in his eyes and I could see it. He was whining what I was going to tell him and the others and if I really did want to stay with the men throughout the rest of the war. I knew I was the wildcard, first being a pilot and then a driver, and ending as a Sergeant who has never killed a person in the war or even was involved with one.

"I don't know what I consider myself anymore, because I have been moved around far too many times to have once place to be called my permanent Company," I replied back calmly and with a boost of confidence since I knew this was going to be the only time I was going to tell them all how I felt before they were going to seal my fate, "I understand that I am a liability to the army and maybe to the Air Force as well, but all I wanted to do is serve the best I can wherever it was needed. I'm only a pilot who was caught in a more unusual circumstance in this war, and I know that I have no real say as to if I should stay here or if I should go. But I do want it to be known that I was treated with the utmost respect and fairness within Easy Company while I served with them, and I showed them the same."

They were quiet again now as I was watching each of their faces to see what was going to happen next, if they are going to ask me more question and see if I was worth enough for them to keep in the army. I would say more about it, how thought it was rude that they would want to send me away because I was a Goddam female and I could make the army look less of a resource and safety sigma than anything.

"Given the evidence that is used along your name and your history with the men, and the fact that this war is closer to going to an end, we have made our decision and it is final." Sink replied to me, having me now feel like I was about throw up all over the floor now because I was waiting to hear my answer and where I was going to be heading out.

What was my fate?

* * *

**George's POV**

"Where are they off to?" I looked up from my seat in the small cafe that we were sitting in, seeing three soldiers walking over to a jeep now and I was surprised to see how it was. Webster, Joe, and Sisk were talking together in a tight huddle, Joe leading the way now with a vengeful look in his eye as I was sitting across from Perconte now and we were drinking some of the alcohol that we found there in the cafe. Well, Perconte was drinking it, I was mostly sitting there thinking about Adaline and her meeting with the senior officers. Damn, it was liking throwing a lamb to the wolves, or in Adeline's case, a fox really since she was smarter than the average soldier. The three of them whisked off in the jeep now in such a fast pace and Perconte kept his eyes on the jeep.

"I wonder where they are going," Perconte voiced as I was looking back at the cafe cup in front of me, "you okay, Luz?"

"Just thinking is all, Perconte." I replied, hearing him chuckle.

"Well that's never a good thing with you, maybe you're thinking of how you're gonna intimidate Sink?" he asked me in a cheer in his tone. I could feel the heavy object, at least it felt heavy to me really, in my jacket pocket there against my rib and I was trying to hide it in front of Perconte since I didn't want to open a can of worms.

"I think I can intimate him in my sleep," I joked back, hiding what I was really thinking about and Perconte chuckled, drinking in another mouthful of the drink as I was just taking a sip now.

"So what do you think he's talking to Adaline about?" I snapped my gaze over to my friend on the other side of the table, hearing her name be brought up in the conversation.

"Adaline?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's talking to her isn't he? It's why we can't go over there in that lobby and play fucking poker now, selfish bastards." Perconte commented as he looked out the window like it was another day at the town and we had nothing else to do.

"What else would they talk about with her other than the fact they don't like her being in the army," I added to the conversation.

"I don't see why they wouldn't want her in, she's extra hands for us to use you know? She's not an idiot, like O' Keefe, or hates the sunny side of life like Cobb," Perconte explained to me, sounding bitter about the two soldiers that he mentioned and it made me chuckled from how he talked and how eh sat there. Perconte was never an optimistic kind of guy, not from what I learned from him over the past couple of years serving with him. He was more on the snarky, judge you with both eyes open, kind of guy. It made sense we were friends, beret sense really.

"If ti's about her being a girl and helping out a bunch of guys, it's all bullshit if you asked me," He replied, taking another sip as I eyed him.

"Nobody did ask you," I countered back at him, seeing him eye me now with confusion.

"What's up your ass?" He asked me, "You're not your cheery self lately."

"Nothing, I'm fine," I replied back to him calmly now, seeing him not convinced at all we heard a couple of whistles blow, Percolate sighing in annoyance as he got up from his seat at the table.

"Goddamn it, I don't want to do another round of push-ups and climbs over ladders, even if it does get us ready for The Pacific," Perconte said in a snort now as he readjusted his jacket and cracked his neck in the process. I was about to get up too, but I didn't as Perconte looked back at me again.

"Going to the Pacific is going to be entertaining in time, don't you think?" Perconte asked me now before he walked out of the cafe and down the street to where the rest of the men were meeting up for training. I was still stuck there, thinking about the Pacific now and how I was more likely to go than anything. I was never shot, so I had no points to go home, and Adaline was probably going to go home herself. It made it very clear that we both were not going to be together for some time, having me sigh heavily now as I pulled out the small velvet box from my pocket and placed it on the table, seeing it sit there alone and make me wonder what was really going to happen to the both of us.

"Yeah, I guess so." I replied out loud to myself.

* * *

**Adaline's POV**

I walked out of the building there, taking in a shaky breath and feel like I was both released from the bounds that were holding me down, and suffocating because of the results that just happened there. It was still warm there, having me feel very hot there in my jacket now as Winters stood next to me, looking a bit off himself from what we were just talking about.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there, Adaline," he said to me in an apology, having me shake my head now as I was trying not to show that I was breaking down here and having any kind of sadness left on my face to show.

"It's fine, sir. They made a decision that was best," I answered him back now as I looked down the road a bit to see if I could find anyone else there, but no one was in sight.

"And you believe that?" He asked me now, having me freeze from walking away from him, hearing him not as my major in the army, but somehow as a friend. I looked at him now, seeing him watch me with his blue eyes that were always kind and soothing for someone to look at if they felt lost. I felt so lost within that moment, but watching him was bringing me back to the surface now.

"I don't know, sir." I replied back with a shaky breath, seeing him nod in agreement.

"Walk with me," He said as more of a suggestion than a command. We both walked down the cobbled road, almost shoulder to shoulder and having me replay the meeting within my head to see what I should have said, or what should have happened to make the other choice instead of one that was already made. But no matter how much I thought about it, I knew the decision that was made was the right one.

"Adaline, I want you answer me honestly," Winters started with his cool tone, having me look over at him as he asked me, "Did you ever think of coming this far in the war?"

"Not really, sir," I replied back, seeing him give me a questioning look, "Given my circumstance, I never thought I would be flying on D-Day, let alone tagging along with a Company this far along in the war and still being alive since I'm not fit for combat."

"I wouldn't call it 'tagging along', more like assisting us when we needed it," Winters answered back to me, having me just smile and shake my head.

"Sir, I know there were times when I felt more like a baggage to you while you were trying to lead the men—" I wanted to get it of my chest now and make sure he knew what I was feeling about when he placed his hand on my arm to stop me from going any further with both my feet and my burdens.

"Adaline," He said to me to get my attention as we were standing face to face on the street, "You were never once seen as a burden, not to any of us in Easy and I hope not to anyone in the Air Force. We accepted you as one of our own since we were in the States back at Benning, I hope you know that." I remembered then, the moments of the training in Benning and how they would want to come over and talk to me after their own training and just get to know me. They were so young and innocent then, wanting to hear and talk with me and have me join their world. They instantly adopted me and made me part of their family, their own bond that they would hardly do to others. So who was I to say that about them and question them in that?

"When do you want to tell the men?" He asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts as I looked at him in question.

"Sir?" I asked him, trying to follow.

"I'm leaving it to you to tell the men in Easy, it's not my place to say so," Winters explained now, having me knit my eyebrows together in confusion since I had no real good time to tell them all, let alone George since I knew he would be the one who was going to be affected by it the most. I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what else to do this conversation since it felt so fragile to talk about and think about with my major there.

"I don't know, sir." I replied, seeing him nod his head.

"I'll let you know when Easy is going to move out from the town over to The Pacific, that will give you enough time to tell the men your decision, agree?" He asked me.

"Of course, sir. Thank you, sir." I thanked him, seeing him give me a small but warm smile now as we started walking again down the road and my hands were shoved back within my pockets. I have to think of when I will tell all of the men what's going to happen to me, and most of all, I had to tell George. How I was going to tell him, of all people, that we were no longer going to be together.

That I was going home?

* * *

"How did it go?" Doc and I were talking and walking together along the lake near a town in the late afternoon that very day. Doc had medic training with Spina and then he came over to find me as I was staying in the lobby of my apartment, thinking to myself about what I was going to tell the men how I was going to tell them. Doc wanted to go on a walk with me and help me clear my head, and there we were walking together with the rays of the sun touching our faces.

"He told me that they decided to send me home," I replied back to him now as I could hear the distant small waves of the lake coming along the beaches there. I had my combat jacket rolled up on the sleeves now and my hair was back in it's messy bun near the top of my head again.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Doc said to me now as we were talking shoddier to shoulder, "But at least you don't have to go to the Pacific like we do."

"That's true, but it still sucks you know?" I asked him, seeing him eye me with his dark eyes and how his pale skin too was shining in the sunlight, "I mean, I did see it coming since they would never send me over with you boys because I'm…"

"A female?" He asked me, "A woman?"

"If memory serves," I muttered back to him, feeling him nudge me with his shoulder.

"Think of it this way, you can be home with Beth, you can start all over again with a new life for yourself. With us, we have to wait a little while longer to do something like that," Doc tried to reason with me and with hope there in his voice.

"It's not that I don't want to go home because I do. It's just….it's how they wanted me get home now that was crappy." I admitted to him now as we stopped near one of the beaches that was rather out along the forest and curving along the edge of the land.

"That wasn't right of them to say it like that to you, bastards." Doc said to me now in a grumble as I smacked him to the arm to stop him from cursing since it was not like him. Doc chuckled and grabbed his arm in the area where I hit him.

"Sorry, mother." he mocked me as I stuck my tongue out at him and we laughed together along the lakeside there. it seemed like a light moment for the both of us to share, and I have missed his company for some time since the last time we were in the same room I was seeing him try and address my two bruises and demanded me to tell him all that happened to me with the drunken private.

"I'm glad you're going home, Adaline," Doc said to me in a more sincere tone now, grinning at me and having me smile back at him, "You get to go home and have some peace with your brother and your daughter."

"Peace?" I asked him, looking out on the water now and seeing the small rumbling of the water breaking on the beach now, "What kind of peace am I going to have after all I went through in the war. I already have nightmares about what happened to me, and I think it is going to be much worse."

"Look at me," Doc urged me now with a hint of a demand behind it, having me look over at him again and see how he was watching me in the way my own brother would watch me, with the affection a sibling would have. It showed that we were close within our own bond together as friends, along with the same thing I had with Joe.

"Adaline, you know how bad of a toll the war is on us," he explained to me now in a lower tone that was more serious manner to me, "No one should be going through what we are going through right now, I can admit to that. And with you, it's gonna be harder for you to get back to normal," He poised, having me feel him hold my hand within his and give it a gentle squeeze.

"But I ain't saying it's impossible, not for someone like you who's fought to hell and back to get back to her daughter," Doc explain to me in a soft manner now, seeing that it was affecting me as he was telling me this. I smiled at him weakly now, thinking that one person was bad enough to tell about my departure and it was only Doc. Who knew what the others were going to be like, and now I was going to figure it out when I saw someone walking over out way along the small lake beach area. He was wearing his combat pants, boots, a white shirt with his dog tags out on his chest now and a grin on his face. I smiled widely.

George.

"Sorry to break up your little pow wow," he said as he joined us there on the beach. Doc shook his head and waved him off as he looked back at me,

"I need to head back to town anyway. Babe hasn't been feeling good and I'm gonna check up on him, I think he caught a bad case of food poisoning." He explained to me as he gave me one more squeeze of the hand to silently tell me that it was going to be okay. I squeezed his hand back before we realized hands and he walked away, George slapping him on the back as he passed George on his walk. I was left alone with George now there on the lake shore and it made me feel a sense of uncertainty as to how he was going to react to the news I was giving him. How was I going to do this?

"So…how did it go with the officers?" George asked me as he walked over, having me see the hope in his eyes now as he was really rooting for me to be able to stay with the boys, with him. But I just stared at him, trying to tell him with my eyes now that it was not what he wanted, or what I wanted. He saw it then, his smile dropping slightly and then I could see it coming: an argument.

"Shit," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and he was looking away from me over to the lake now, having me see that he was trying to collect his thoughts. I walked over to him carefully, not wanting to spook him at all really as I watched him.

"They just….let you go just like that?" He asked me as if it was not the truth and more of a trick for him.

"Yeah, yeah they did," I replied back to him, seeing him squint and his hands at his sides making a fist and his stance was stiff now. He was silent once again for a moment or two, having me really hope that he was going to react to this okay, but not terrible.

"It's bullshit…what they did to you," George said under his breath, having me really want to reach out to him and just give him a hug to make him feel better, "Did they even know what you did, how you helped us over in Holland and Bastogne?"

"They know, but it didn't change their mind about me," I reminded him, seeing him look over at me now, "I can't go with you to The Pacific. They see me as a liability for them to look after, and I admit I have to agree with them."

"You're not a liability," George reminded me in a stern tone to me, having me not say a word about as he breathed out slowly through his nose and then sighed in defeat. I could tell he wanted to argue with it some more, but it was better to let the conversation die where it was nothing to fight about between us.

"Well, this does make this conversation a bit more awkward," He said out of wonder, not in pain or in anger, but like he was suddenly thinking of a new idea. I raised an eyebrow at him, shifting my feet a bit.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"I mean…I had something planned out for you, for the both of us…and I guess I have no other real choice than to go along with it," George explained to me, a small smile was back on his lips as I was even more confused about what was going on with him and how he was hiding something from me.

"I don't know what you have planned, and I think I should be scared." I said to him, seeing him shake his head now as I laced our fingers together between us, just like plenty of times that we have done this before.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked me, like it was a trick question.

"Of course I do," I replied, seeing him bring out his toothy grin back at me.

"And I know you love me, or at least I would hope you do," He commented in almost a joking manner now.

"To the moon and back, George Luz." I vowed to him, having a small giggle to it now since it sounded so childish yet so true for the both of us. It was then that I saw him sink to the floor on one knee that I felt my knees bulking from underneath me, yet I stayed so still as he was reaching down within his pants pocket and then pulling out a small velvet box within his hands, watching me the whole time as I felt like this was freezing the rest of the world.

"I know I'm not the best boyfriend….compared to others since I know I'm not a good enough person," George tried to explain in a stammer, having me see the genuine fear in his eyes and hear it in his voice, "But I do know that you have really made me a better person by just loving me for who I am and for what I am worth. Adaline, I'm not doing this to replace Adam and be the new father to Beth, that is not right in the slightest. But I do want to marry you and make you beyond happy since you do that to me." He opened the box, having me notice the small ring there nestled between the pillow and how simple it looked yet it was beyond beautiful for me to see. It was a sapphire on the top with two diamonds on the sides and a simple white band there.

"Adaline O'Malley, will you marry me?" he asked me, looking up at me and having me instantly think back to when we first met, back when we were just starting to get our toes wet in the concept of war. I was scared of him, on how confident he was and yet I was shy on the other end of the spectrum. It was from that first meeting now that it all evolved into something that was going to shift and shape my life for the best. George was the best thing in my world, along with my daughter, of course, and I was willing to let him in and try again with a married life with him. I started crying, not saying another word or two before I started to nod my head and a grin spread out on his face as he was still kneeling on the floor.

"Yes….a thousand times yes George Luz." I replied, seeing him shoot up and place the ring on my finger gently, more tears on my face as we embraced on the lake shore and the sun beaming down on the both of us. I didn't care then if I was being sent home early and not going to be with Easy anymore, I was just enraptured with the new bright future I was going to have with George Luz.

I loved my future.


	30. Chapter 30

"You look like you're about to be sick," Doc commented to me under his breath as we were sitting together in the lobby now, waiting for the others to come over since I called them all over to the lobby and tell them about me going home in a few days. Winters reassured me that he would be a support for me if I needed it, but then again I felt like I could do this on my own. I had to tell them now since it was going to very close for them to leave for the Pacific. Some of the men knew what was going to happen, and others were still hoping that I would tag along with them. But they had to know the truth now.

"I think I am about to be sick," I admitted back to him under my breath as more and more men were filing in, talking to one another and then wondering why they were there. I wanted to die suddenly, since not only was it because I was I was about to basically say goodbye to them all, but I was also engaged for about a couple of hours.

Huh, engaged.

The last time I was engaged I was young, a bit on the naive side and a little reckless with my love for Adam. We were barely adults when it happened, and now this was a bit different now. George and I were young adults, we were seasoned with the motions of life when it came to loss, grieving, survival and learning how to grow up within months because of the Goddamn war. I didn't care if I as engaged to George and I already had another child, and I could tell George didn't mind either. This felt more right than anything, right and real for the both of us now since we decided to keep this quiet until after I told them my news that Sink gave me.

"They'll understand, trust me." Doc reassured me now as I was now seeing most of the men there that were going to show up. They were all huddled around each other and talking under their breaths now as to why they were there. I sighed, thinking that there was nothing else to do but to tell them. Slowly,y with Doc squeezing my hand as support now, I got up from the chair I was sitting in and most of the men feel quiet, looking over in my direction now in pure curiosity. I intently reached down to grab George's ring within my hand since I hid it in my pocket, hoping that it would steady me as I found George talking to Perconte and Sisk before watching me carefully. He was the only other person than Doc that knew what happened.

"Thanks for coming in guys, and sorry for taking you away from whatever you were doing," I said as a start, starting to feel like the bottom of the floor was about to give out and Doc nudged me with his hand to show that he was there. I grinned at him, seeing him smile back as Babe walked over to sit near him now and I looked back in front of me,

"So…you guys probably heard that Sink wanted to talk to me about where I'm supposed to be for now on in the War…I'm still technically part of the Air Force, but I'm with you all," I explained, shifting a bit in my feet now as I swallowed down hat was going to make me sick, "But they have made the decision to….shit….to send me home in two days."

"What the fuck?" Perconte asked me in a bit of shock, some of the other men were shocked too and they looked like they just saw me being shot in the head.

"I'm sorry Adaline," Buck said to me genuinely with his blue eyes pouring into my own that looked like he was in pain from what he heard.

"Why would they do that?" Malarky asked me in wonder and with his face scrunched up a bit.

"I'm an asset to the military….since I'm one of the only females still serving this far along in the war they think I'm a…liability," I explained some more.

"Bullshit," Joe replied back in a low tone, other agreeing with him, "It's utter bullshit if you ask me."

"Since when were you ever a liability?" Christenson asked me now with nothing really clicking in his head. I looked back at Winters now to see if he was going to say anything about it to not make it turn into a riot. He was about to say something else when another person spoke up about it, about me really.

"There wasn't something you could do to stay?" Shifty asked me from my spot next to Sisk and Moose now, the others looked from him over to me toes and hear my own answer. I waited for a moment to so, moving my eyes over to George to see how he was feeling about this whole situation. He was keeping his eyes on me, a cigarette already lit and in his mouth as he inhaled and he felt a bit uneasy about it too. I could see it was more of a stressful thing on him now than anyone else in the room, and I hated that he was going through it with me too. He said nothing about it, and I knew he was trying to be calm about it since he was still trying to come to terms with me leaving the men sooner than later. I gave him a small smile, seeing him do the same with me without anyone around him seeing what he did and how he smiled at me.

"I tried to say all that there was for me to stay with you boys, but nothing changed their mind," I replied back to them, almost like I dropped a bomb on them and they were just looking a bit more miserable about it.

"Well….when do you leave?" Garcia asked me with some hope in his voice that it would be another week or so.

"Two days, I head back out to D.C." I replied back to him, seeing him shift his eyes to the others as some of them were trying to think of something, I could see it in their eyes, "I just want dot let you guys know what's is going on and that I'll have to say goodbye to you sooner than I thought."

"Which is perfect timing," Buck said out of the blue, all of us looking over at him now in wonder and a bit of shock since it sounded like something that he wouldn't say at all. I was wondering hat he was thinking about and what he had in mind as he then cocked grin at me, which made this whole conversation go into another direction.

"How's your aim with a bat, Adaline?"

* * *

I remembered looking up at the sky that day, craving to place a plane up there within the clouds and cut through the mountains like I was a knife through butter. It was the perfect day, barely any clouds that were a hazard, the breeze that come through along the top of the mountain that gave us the spring season along the greens of the hills and the grass that I was standing on, my boots digging into the earth now and my hair was getting a bit longer and more prone to being in my face. But that day, I didn't care how my hair looked or that I was standing alone there on a field while the others were getting ready for the baseball game that they conducted. I was thinking back to my family again, my brother and my daughter and how I was going to see them soon.

I should be happy to see him, how big Beth got while I was not there to see those moments that were meant to be seen. Aaron would be there for her, to help her up when she fell down and when she would cry at night. I would only assume what he had to go through in order to make sure Beth had a stable life without me there. I felt the guilt of having my daughter be placed with my brother, and being able to step back into the real world with all that was burdening me and harnessing me to fall back on past demons and past close calls with death.

Was I ready to take all that back to me to Massachusetts?

"Come on, Ace," I heard someone calling out behind me, making me tear my eyes away from the sky above me and away from my thoughts of my daughter to look over at Joe, seeing him walk over with his and his jacket open and his own hair flying within the wind now. I was glad we were both back to being good friends again, no mother bad blood or glances of death between the both of us. We were acting like two friends who grew up together as he walked over to me to placed an arm around my neck to pull me close to him.

"You gonna play ball with us or what?" He asked as some of the others were jogging over to the baseball diamond that was made for anyone who's been wanting some time to play and relax a were going to have a game going with our company, just to pass the time since we had the rest of the day off from training for the Pacific. As soon as the conversation with the men was over, Winters went off to talk with some other officers about some news that came in.

"Haven't played in years, Joe." I reminded him now as we were walking together to the pitcher's mound where the others were talking about who was taking what base and what position.

"Well shit, none of us has played in years since we've been fighting a war over here in Europe," Joe countered back with another statement now and I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean, I haven't played since I was about 15," I said to him in a lighter tone, hearing him chuckle.

"Since you can take out one guy with a crowbar on a left armed swing, this should be a cakewalk for you, so you can go first and start off the game right." Joe explained as he then got u tot he pitcher's mound and the rest of the guys were talking to each other. Welsch and Lipton were sitting at one of the jeeps that they brought up to the field now and they were talking to each other as we were figuring out the game.

"Alright, Johnny's gonna pitch, I'll be catching anything he throws that's both great and sloppy as hell, Let's get Liebgott on third, Perconte near second and Luz at shortstop….Ace can hit us off with that mean swing of hers," Buck was explaining tot he group as he looked over at me and winked, "And we can grab a couple more of the boys out on the outfield and the rest can bat!"

"Come on, Ace, warm up that arm of yours!" Talbert said in a grin now as he tossed me the wooden bat that they were going to use for the game. I walked over to the plate with the ball in my hand, reminding me back to when I was a teenager with my older brother and our friends there in the parks of our town and the streets on hot summer days. They were touched with innocence and with hope for the future being filled with optimism and with joy.

I got the bat up within my hands and held it back as Buck was down on his feet and his glove ready to catch a Johnny was back at pitcher's mound, looking right at me to see what kind of pitch he was going to give me and try to strike me out. I have seen that face before on my friends back when we were teenagers playing ball, and I would just give him an intense glare back to show that I was no afraid.

There are many things I was not afraid of anymore. I was not afraid of the notion that I was a liability to the officers in the army, I was not afraid of not being accepted or involved with a group of men whom also placed their own live's on the line. The one thing I knew I was going to be haunted by, the one thought that would make me afraid, was no longer part of my life now. It was the fear of being no longer finding the genuine love Adam had for me, if not something purer and more intense at the same time. I never thought I would find it in another person,

George took away that fear from our first conversation.

"Give us a good on, Ace!" I heard Talbert scream out from the outfield as Johnny was about to wind up his pitch and throw it at me. I grant him, having the baseball bat pulled back a bit now as he released and the ball flew towards me. I swung, the crack of the wood hitting the air as I dropped the bat and ran while the ball as soaring through the air and getting farther and farther out into the green grass. I got to first base when they grabbed the ball from the green grass that it landed on, having me run faster to the second base when the ball was once again flying through the air and I finally touched the base before I was tagged by Perconte.

We played like that the rest of the game, people hitting the ball or striking out, being tagged out or getting points for the team. We were laughing together, acting kind to one another, and it felt like heaven to me really since I have wanted something like this since I joined the Air Force. I didn't mind being the only girl that was amongst men, amongst brothers who bounded with each other over the years and I happened to be along for the ride.

We were all playing another inning when we were called. "Easy Company!" Was heard in the distance now as we all stopped playing, seeing Spiers, Nixon and Winters coming over to talk to us now. We didn't know what he was going to talk about next as we all huddled around him. I found myself next to George now as he was hunched over with his hands on his knees and he was trying to catch a breath. I was so tempted to rest my hand on his upper back near his neck, but I had to hold against it.

"Got some news. Today, President Truman received the official surrender of the Japanese. War's over." Winters explained to us all, having me all freeze within our spots and replay that simple statement. It was like he was announcing another drill that we were going to have to do, but it really wasn't. This meant that we were all done with the war, we were going home.

I had to let that sink in. We were going home.

George shot up from his spot as the others were talking to each other in an excited manner and then running off together towards the jeeps and tents that were out near the edge of the baseball field. I locked eyes with George, the both of us were saying with our eyes what we were really wanting to say out loud.

We were going home together. Together.

"Adaline…" George started with me, having me nod my head so that I would how him that I knew what he was about to say to me. I grabbed his hand and found him quickly close to me now as I was fighting the real big urge to kiss him in front of the officers and show how much this was affecting me. We were going to go back together, build our new life together with Beth and with a new hope that we can go through this life with each other as support.

"I know, George. I know." I said to him in a low tone, having me see him breathe out a sigh of relief now and I grinned at him. I had the underline fear of being afraid that if George was going to go to The Pacific, he would not come back for Beth and I to be with him and grow old with him. It was going to be real now, our future was going to be good and bright.

"Come on," George urged me now, pulling me along to get somewhere since he was walking like he was on a mission. I was being pulled along, feeling him tugging my hand and I saw that we were heading over to one of the tents that were the closest to us. I had no die what was really going on in his head at that point now to tug me into the tent where I saw plenty of storage boxes and rations crates piled up to the top of the tent.

As soon as that flap closed and we were alone, with no lone looking, George and I hugged each other so lose and so fiercely and not moved for a moment or two. I was holding him tighter than I have ever had with him, but it was;t out of fear that I was not going to see him again. I was holding him more because I was jus glad that we were going to have something that we both have wanted and no longer needed to wait for it. We were no longer going to wait for it, never again.

"It's real…we get to go home," I reassured him over and over again now as we were embracing each other and breathing out those fears and worries of what was going to happen next. I have been holding in the fact that I knew I was leaving George and one other, and now that it was real that we weren't going to be separated

"Thank God…Thank fucking God." George mumbled back to me with a sigh of relief now as I felt more tears coming down my face and hitting his jacket. I have never felt like I would really cry for something like this, but it was all a build up that ever happened in this war to me and all the pain I went through. It was all for Beth, all for her and for her to have a bright future.

"Hey, hey it's okay," George could tell I was weeping in his arms now, feeling him stroke my hair with his fingers and his embrace was less tight and more gentle and nurturing. I had no real reason to stop my tears and my crying there, since it was just the two of us now within the hidden tent and I didn't have to fear someone finding me in tears and as a mess. I had to let it all go and get the weight off my shoulders and off my chest in order to move forward and be a better person. I felt pathetic as George kissed my hair, whispering into my skin that all was well and we were going home together. The floodgates were opened and I was free again.

Free to go home.

* * *

"Are you certain you have to stay?" I asked Doc as he was watching us get onto the dock that was going to lead us to the ship. Doc was going to go back to England for a month or two to help with the medics there and get some inventory done, paperwork and other small tasks that were needed. It was better than being sent to the Pacific, but it still felt off that he was not going to go home, back to the land of the Bayou in Louisiana.

"I told them I would help with all the paperwork and training for those who need it, plus I need more money any who and I don't wanna go home just yet," He explained to me now as he shuffled a bit in his dress greens. I was bummed that we were going to say goodbye here in Germany now as we were about to head back home. I wanted him to come home, for us to have more time to be together and talk about the war with one another, but now it was the time for me to part ways with my good friend.

"Will you write at least? I want to make sure that you're okay over here in England." I tried to reason, seeing him grin and nod from my remark.

"Of course. I'll have plenty of time to write to you, Spina and Babe, of course the rest of the guys too. Plus, I'll be spending some time with Vera more which is better for me than going home and trying to get back my life there." Eugene informed me now as I heard some more of the men going up on the ship and Eugene's jeep beeping at him to get ready to go. I smiled widely, glad to head that he was going to go back to Vera. She was the best thing for him since he really didn't have a whole lot to hold onto back at home in Louisiana. He adored and loved Vera, I knew he did because he would light up when he would talk about her and he would look much better within his own eyes and in how he would go on in his day.

"I'm glad you have Vera, Doc. I think she makes you happy," I encouraged him now, seeing him shift a bit within his dress greens.

"And I'm glad you have someone like George," Doc added with the conversation now, having me eye him for moment and having a split second that he found out about the both of us now as I saw him look past me over to the loading dock and the ramp with the soldiers going on. I looked too, and I know who he was looking at. There was George, right behind Bull and Perconte and he was joking with them about something and his smile was so wide on his face. It was like when we were back at camp all over again so many years ago, barely knowing each other and have each others company as a source of peace, not the war tearing us down and away from each other.

"I kind to had the hint that you two were together," I looked back at Doc when he added that sentence.

"For how long?" I asked him in curiosity.

"I think it was when we found you after you crashed near us in Bastogne. We brought you into that hospital and George was with us the whole time, even a couple of the guys having to drag him out of the area when I got you safe in the building," Doc explained some more now and having me try to rethink that moment when I collapsed in the first from the cold and the damage on my body. I couldn't think of anything else happening, I couldn't remember who was where and why I was being moved in such a way.

"Will you promise me something, Doc?" I asked him out of the blue as I heard the jeep honking at Doc one more time before and he turned to wave me off. He looked back at me now with a confusing look on his face as I reach into my jacket pocket now and grabbed the one thing that I was never going to let expose just yet, not to anyone else in Easy until George and I knew it was the right time. But Doc was not going to be back at the states anytime soon now, so he had to know though me personally rather than a letter for a phone call. I pulled out the ring for him to see, holding it between the both of us and he stared at it like it was some kind of trick. But then it clicked from how he was looking at it, finally looking back up at me right in the eyes that were wide and filled with shock.

"You and George?" he asked me in a shocked tone, having me nod my head now as I was just glad that he knew now. He then engulfed me in his arms and I hugged him back. I never gave him enough credit when it came to being a friend, and I should have. I needed someone quiet and determined like Doc, he knew how to make things cooler and gentler in times of chaos and fear. Even when he had his own breakdown back in France after Jackson's death, I was not going to have him lose himself and no longer be the Doc that we needed. I had to bring him back and protect him, and I knew he would do the same for me.

"Tell me when the wedding is, send me the invitation. I'll come out with Vera, I promise." He whispered to me once more and the jeep honked for him one more time. I nodded in agreement since I would not want to get married without him there.

"You better be there," I replied back to him as I felt him squeeze me a bit tighter since we knew we had to separate now before the ship would leave without me or his jeep would leave without him. I snuck in a kiss to his cheek now as we pulled away from each other and I grinned at him, placed my hand on his cheek now to see who far he came as a friend and as a soldier here in the war. I was glad he never killed anyone, but he had to do the opposite: he had to save people.

"I'll see you soon," I promised him, seeing him nod in agreement and my hand moving with his head, "Write to me?"

"I will." He replied.

* * *

"I never thought I would be happy to see the sea again," I was grinning from ear to ear as some of were out on the deck to drink in the sun and the sea air that was going through our hair and not our skin. We've been at sea now for about a couple of days, other Companies joining us on the ship to take us back to the States and get our lives back. It felt off no longer being in Europe, it was part of our lives being over there and within the trees and frontier of the Germany life. But now we were going home, and we were already trying to get back to a normal routine with each other, no guns were seen and no enemy was noticed for us to be afraid of.

"Kind of tempted to go swimming in it really," Talbert joked now as he was sitting against the railing with Perconte and Sisk along with some others from other companies that were joining up on the deck there. I was leaning against the railing and looking out at the ocean with Joe next me and George on the other side of me now, the both of them are smoking and just sitting there in silence now. I was thinking again now of Doc, knowing he was back in England and was with Vera again, and I was beyond glad that he knew about George and I.

"Just think, we'll be back within a week or two. I'll be back at San Francisco," Joe said aloud as he exhaled his smoke and I looked over at him now, seeing him look out at the ocean now and he was looking cool, as he always did with more thoughts haunting his head and his eyes going back to being collective and analyzing.

"You sound happy to be going back," I commented to him now, seeing shrug his shoulders now.

"Eh, I might get my job back at the cab company to make bank on the sailors coming in, you know?" He asked me, turning around to have his own back leaning against the railing now and inhaling once more.

"What about your family, I'm thinking you're going to be happy to see them," I suggested to Joe.

"Oh, I am, my ma and pop along with the 5 other siblings I have. It's no different than being in a company since I have to fight over certain things," He replied in a chuckle, having me giggle as well since I knew he was trying to make it light, "What about you? You ready to see your daughter yet?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I answered him back, "I just hope that she would be ready to see me."

"What makes you think she won't be ready to see her mother?" Joe asked me, staring at me now with a raised eyebrow now as I was thinking about it more and more within my own thoughts and on how Beth was going to react when she saw me get home again.

"She hasn't seen her mother in almost 4 years now, Joe," I reminded him now, trying not to sound bitter about it and how it was tearing me up on the inside on how Beth was going to react to me. I knew it was very hard for her not to have her mother in a long time and not having her mother to protect her and teach her and help her grow, "I would think that she wouldn't recognize me at all with all that happened to me."

"I think she'll know who you are," Joe replied back to me lightly now as he could see how this was affecting me, "She wouldn't recognize you, you're her mother. I bet you a million bucks that she dreams about you coming home, that you're the only thing she thinks about day and night."

"You think she would be mad at me?" I asked him suddenly now, watching him now looking at me in confusion a and a bit with anger now since I was acting like a paranoid individual now than reasonable, "Mad for being away for so long and almost abandoning her with my brother."

"Adaline…" George was now listening to the conversation now and he looked over at me now in fear since he knew what I was feeling and what I was going through, but Joe shook his head.

"She's a little girl," He reminded me now, almost getting a bit mad on what I was doing with myself now, "She would never think of you as someone who would abandon her. I know kids, some of my siblings are still young enough to be considered a kid and my younger sister has a kid herself, kids don't think like that."

"I'm hoping she won't." I admitted to him again, still thinking of the worst now since there was no other excuse for me to stay in the army and hope that she would remember me. I had to face it now, the good and the bad of what she was going to do and how she was going to view me now.

"I don't think she will see any less of a hero and the perfect mother," Joe said to me strongly now as I watched him see if it was true. We had the relationship that was more on the older brother and younger sister kind, almost like how I would have a relationship with Aaron and how we would both fight and talk with each other. I smiled at him, seeing Joe try to bring me out of the darkness and see the light again within this situation. I was glad to call him my friend, and I hoped he felt the same for me.

"You should meet her." I said to him with a lighter tone on my lips. Joe grinned at me, the cheeky grin he would use on the others throughout our time together in the war.

"I would love to meet the squirt, plus I can show her comics," he suggested from me.

"Sorry to say my brother has you beat on that one. My daughter is a proud fan of Captain America and Wonder Woman," I explained to him now with a cheeky grin on my face.

"What about Flash Gordan or Dick Tracey?" He asked me now in interested and pure curiosity.

"That's more with my brother since he's a big Dick Tracey fan." I reassured him, Joe grinning with the cigarette in his mouth and then he moved away from the railing and ruffled his hair.

"It's official then: I'm coming over for Christmas." He replied in a chuckle now and walked away with me smiling at him. I watched him go over to the men out on the open end of the deck who were playing cards on a table or just talking to each other. They were all in a cheery manner as some of them were about to start singing together another song. I felt George move over to me a bit more, reaching over to hold my hand while I was still watching the men there and how they were all having a good time out there on the deck.

"I don't want to say goodbye to them yet, George," I said to him softly as I could hear them singing together and the laughter they were sharing with each other as the chorus came through, "I thought it was bad enough in Germany, but this feels worse now since it's all together."

"We still have a week, Adaline," George reminded me, "None of those guys want to say goodbye to each other either, or to you. We're gonna make the best of it while we're together." I finally looked over at him now and I saw him grin at me, his hair flowing in the ocean wind now as I looked at our laced fingers that were there on top of the railing and I wondered how many times now did we hold hands and just stay there.

"So…you still want Beth and I to be with you in Rhode Island?" I asked him out of curiosity.

"Sure I do. I can find work, we both can, and we can find a nice place to live there. Summertime in Rhode Island is perfect in my opinion." George explained to me with his light manner and a sweet smile on his face.

"You think we're gonna move in with you right away?" I asked him now since he was talking about summer, which was right around the corner.

"Not right away, since I doubt you and your family would want to separate anytime soon now that we're back home," George reminded me, "Maybe we can figure out as it comes further along down the road. Besides, what about us being married?"

"How would you want to be married, George?" I asked him back, seeing him roll his eyes and shake his head from the thought of wedding planning.

"In all honesty, though my mother would kill me if I tell you this and she hears about it, I don't give two dimes if we get married at city hall and sign the damn papers," He explained.

"Really now?" I asked back with surprise.

"Oh yeah. I know I'm flashy," He started, having me chuckle there with his playful charm back out to see, "Not to mention handsome in a suit, but I doubt the both of us would want a huge wedding."

"Only my mother." I answered him.

"Both of our mothers," George added, "I never took you as a huge wedding person either."

"I'm not, and I never was. Besides, after being in this war and just trying to get back to a normal life..who knows. Maybe a wedding is a good thing for us, like a new chapter." I suggested, hearing another rousing song coming from the guys and we both looked over to see someone playing on their guitar and the others clapping along.

"So, when do you want to tell the others?" I asked George, looking back at him and seeing him scoff at me.

"Like I wanna tell them," He replied, having me smack him on the arm.

"Oh, don't act like you don't want to tell them that you and I are engaged. You'd love to tell them on a megaphone if you could," I said, having me seeing him break out into a grin and nod his head.

"I would, hell I would go on top of a mountain if I could and scream it out for the world to hear. Such Jimmy Stewart thing for me to do," He replied back in a hoot now as I watched him look back off into the ocean waters with his Jimmy Stewart of a face now and I had to giggle now as he then spoke with the Jimmy Stewart accent I knew he was good at.

"A Magnificence that comes out of your eyes, in your voice, in the way you stand there, in the way you walk. You're lit from within, Tracy!" He said in the accent now like he was making some kind of proclamation to anyone who wanted to hear from near us now yet it was just the two of us now. I watched him in glee now as he looked back at me and leaned over to kiss me there, out in the open and for me, not t be afraid to do so right now. But before he could touch his lips onto mine, I knew I could counter back with him with another quote from the same movie he was quoting some seconds earlier.

"Has your mind taken hold again?" I asked him, seeing him grin wickedly at me now before our lips could touch. He was still holding my hand now as his other hand reached over to grasp my jacket sleeve.

"Good thing, don't you agree?" He asked me back with his Jimmy Stewart accent.

"No, professor." I replied, then we kissed against the railing on our way to freedom and our future together.


	31. Chapter 31

I closed the journal I was holding in my hands now, the train was going along the green countryside to show that we were finally out of New York and the city. I was sighing in relief now since we've been on the train now for about 30 minutes and we were settled into our spots. George and I had our own compartment on the train, George in his dress greens and I was in my own Air Force blues now. It was starting to be hours now until I was going to be home and see my daughter.

We were so close to being home.

George phoned his mother and family when we got off the ship and made it through the last checkpoints with the army. I wondered what he was talking about, then I found out later on that it was that he was telling them he was making a pitstop with me to Boston to see my family. I was not wanting him to not be with his family for another day or two, it was far too selfish for him to do something like that. But he had to reassure me at least five times this is what he wanted. We were both about two horse away from each other where our houses were any who, and he would drive down to see his family as soon as he was ready to head down and be with them. I only wonder why he wanted to be with me first then with his own family, but I knew better than to talk him out of it.

George was now fast asleep with his head on my shoulder, a light snoring was heard from hi since I knew he was at peace with his sleep now as I looked back down my journal now and I smiled silently there, seeing the small pile of piece of paper that were given to me and that of the addresses and numbers that were there on each paper.

They belonged to the others in Easy.

I was given addresses from most of the Easy members, all whom I gave my own information too since we really didn't want to look touch with one another. I could tell some of them were ready to head home and get their old lives back to normal, and others were a bit on the fence about it really and if they were really ready to be normal men again with normal jobs, normal families, and normal routines.

After the hugs and the goodbyes, George and I hoped on the train over to Boston so I can see my family. I was just glad to be had over to Boston now. I only hope for the best really because of how my family was going to look different, if they were going to want to hear all that happened to me, and most of all, if my life was ever going to be normal again.

Without moving too much to wake George, I switched my journal and the photo album to be placed within my lap and I started to flip trough every page now that started at the beginning. All of the letters I placed within the pages, seeing the handwriting and the smooth papers that were pressed up there made me smile and how the dates would take me back in time as to every time I received a letter. I knew these papers took me through, not only those but the pictures of my family and my daughter as well.

Just seeing her face was enough to get me through from day to day, one of the pictures I was having within my jacket when I crashed in Bastogne and now it was in the album. I was glad that it made it through the crash, but some blood was stained on the paper now and, in fact, the edges were ripped a bit and bent back. It was the one picture that looked a bit worse than the others, but it was my favorite. I didn't know whether or not that it was because her picture was in the jacket pocket that was close to my heart, or that I looked at her picture at the pilot cockpit where I was looking at her the whole time.

The other thing I loved about this album since it was filled with most of it really was George's letters to me. The first one he wrote before we jumped into Normandy, others that we wrote back and forth to each other as I was still back in England when I wasn't driving around with the men. I loved those letters, and I hoped he liked it when I wrote back to him now. I even wondered if he kept the letter I had with me when I crashed, when Doc took it from me as I was passed out and gave it to him maybe to make me feel better about it.

George stirred a bit next to me as I was looking at the last letter that I got from Aaron, having me close the album now and place it back within my army bag now and leaned over to press a kiss to George's hair.

"We there yet?" he asked me in a grumble, now having me snicker from the tiredness I heard in his voice as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

"We still have a way to go," I replied back to him as he sighed and yawned then, sitting up from the seat he was slouching in and looked over at me now with his sleepy eyes.

"So, how you feeling about seeing your little girl in a few hours?" He asked in an honest opinion of a tone now, having me grin at him now as I was just picturing it all in my head now and how her face was there so vividly.

"More than ready, are you ready to meet her?" I asked him now, seeing him nod his head and sit up a little bit more now. I always wondered what he was thinking abbot when he wanted to meet Beth and come with me before he himself would go home. It sounded insane, way more insane for someone like George to think about doing after being away from his own home for years. Would He be willing to come with me?

"I am, hopefully, she'll like me," He replied in a snort now as I shook my head.

"There's no doubt that she will like you for certain. I have to want you, though, she may be a bit shy at first to new people," I explained to him thoroughly now but with sincerity as I felt like I should get him prepped and ready to meet my daughter, and if all goes according to plan, his step-daughter.

"Sounds like her mother to me," George joked with me and I felt the blush back there on my cheeks from how he said it.

"She's bolder than I am, but still hesitant on meeting new people. I did tell her about you once or twice when I was on the phone with her before we jumped in Normandy." I said, seeing him perk up a bit more now since I mentioned him and how I told my daughter about him.

"What did you tell her?" He asked me, having em shake my head at him and see that he was going to press me to see what I was going to tell him.

"I don't remember…." I trailed off playfully now as George leaned over to almost nuzzle into me now to get it out of me. He poked me against the ribs with his finger and I jumped for the tickling I felt within me.

"That will not have me tell you any quicker George Luz," I said to him in a giggle as he kept poking me to get the answer out of me.

"Come on, spill Adaline." he said in a snicker now as I finally gave him and stopped him in his tracks by kissing him squarely on the mouth. Once our lips connected, he froze with his fingers against my ribs and kissed me right back, having me shift a bit in my seat there and feel that kiss down throughout my veins and having me sigh against his lips. I pulled away from him, seeing him smile widely at me and look at me like a doe in the headlights now since I used a unique way to shut him up.

"She already likes you from what I told her, and I know you are going to adore her." I replied back to him now, touching his jaw within my fingers and having me already excited about our future together as a family, with me being married to him. It was already making me sappy about it and so happy to think about, having me look back down at the ring on my finger and another hurdle I was going to have to overtake: telling my parents and brother, let alone my daughter, that I was engaged to a man they haven't met yet.

"We don't have to tell them," George said to me out of the blue now as I looked back at him in almost a shocked manner now since it sounded like something he would never do, "I mean, not right away."

"What do you mean?" I questioned him some more now as he rearranged himself next to me in his seat and then sighed.

"I don't want to cause any waves with your family, who will soon be my in-laws if they like me enough," George explained, having me with him give a look like he was in an intense thought, "I don't think it's the best idea to tell them right out of the gate that we're engaged and we want to get married, you know?"

"You thought a lot about this, didn't you?" I asked him now, sincerely since I could tell he was really taking this seriously now, not that he wasn't a serious kind of guy. No, he knew when to buckle down and think things through, and this was one of those times I guess.

"Since we got on the ship. Before that I never gave much thought, but after you and I talked about getting back over here, I figured that we should wait a day or two before we announce to your family and my own family that we're engaged." He replied with a shrug and a small smile.

"You're really willing to do that, for me?" I asked him in all honesty. I knew it was hard enough for us to get back to a regular life again, but then again this was going to be harder because not only were we engaged, but no one else knew about it.

"Pretty much," He replied to me, holding out hands between us now and giving me a serious but kind face, "We go at your pace, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

**Boston, Massachusetts**

George held my hand the entire time when we were in the cab, going from the train station over to the Telegraph Hill, where I know out house was going to be on the corner of East 7th street and G Street. It was a three-story Victorian house, thought it was small enough to house Beth, Aaron and myself along with some room for Aaron to do his work. But driving through the old neighborhood that I was used to before I left for the war almost was like I was re-living a dream all over again that made me cringe, since I was not used to it at all. I have missed those trees, how wide and big they were, big enough to have the leaves and branches spread out to cover the concrete on the street and sidewalk too.

It was when we pulled out in front of the house now, the three story victorian little house on the corner with the blue walls and red wall trimmings and white door that I felt like I was frozen, not being able to move from the taxi as George got the both of us out and then grabbed out bags from the trunk and then tipping the driver. My eyes were fixed on the house, how it looked the same since I left them in a taxi to the train station three years ago.

Three fucking years.

"You okay, sweetheart?" George asked me as he place out bags near my feet and the taxi drove off. I was about to answer him when the door opened and my eyes shot over to who it was there at the door. My heart was now at the ground near my feet.

Aaron.

"Holy….Adaline?" He asked me, standing so tall and handsome there with his white collared shirt and dressed pants, shoes on and laced like the professor he is. He looked just the same with his hair short and trimmed to the side, the same shade of color that I had, and his bright eyes that showed how much knowledge he had. He stood there, hand still on the door handle now as he was staring at me with the most shock on his face. I couldn't do anything else but smile at him, show him a big smile that I was glad that he was right there for me to see instead of me having to go up there and knock on the door.

"Hi, Aaron," I said to him simply, not knowing what else to say to him now. He then cried, two tears going down along his cheeks and onto his shirt and he held his hand against his mouth from crying anymore. I felt terrible for making him cry from just one simple word, but he then moved down the porch steps and walked over to me, moving his hand from his mouth and opened his arms for me to walk into. I did it without thinking twice, hugging him close and feel him keep me close that he was afraid that I was going to leave him again.

"You're finally home," He said into my shoulder now as I nodded in agreement. I was too focused on Aaron to Georg moving out of the way for us to have our reunion together. I was drinking in my brother, how I was safe with him against my arms. I missed him dearly, seeing him on a day to day basis and hearing about his students, and just him being my brother overall. His letters helped me and made me think that I was still with him back in Boston, back home.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Aaron asked me as he finally pulled away to look at me up and down to see how I was looking in his eyes. I was still tongued that I was home and with him, seeing him then look over at my face and see some of the faint scars there, a but hesitant to see him there and I wanted to tell him all about it, but nothing came out.

"I wanted to surprise you I guess," I replied back to him simply, finding my voice for him finally now as he grinned at me. I could tell now we both had the same smile, the ones that can light up a room within an instant.

"You jerk," He replied back to me and giving me another hug now, "You know I can't handle something like that."

"I know, I know." I replied, feeling him give me a light squeeze before he moved and looked over at George, who was smiling the whole time.

"You must be George," He said to him now, walking away from me and holding out his hand for George to shake, George shook it without thinking twice, a big grin on his face.

"George Luz, pleasure to meet you," He said to Aaron and Aaron nodded in agreement.

"I finally get to meet the guy my sister here's smitten with." Aaron joked with him, having me already want to punch him in the arm for trying to make me blush in front of him. I can tell that so far Aaron was liking George and welcoming him there. I heard the front door opening again, and this time, I felt like I was about to see someone whom I thought I would never see, ever again.

"Mommy?"

I looked over to the front door again, but this time I saw her. She was taller now, skinnier with her lanky body but her long hair flowing int he wind as she was standing over near the steps and looking at me with her big beautiful eyes, My God, I thought I knew what she looked like in the pictures that Aaron would send, but this was something else. For a moment, I thought it was another trick of the mind, another mirage of some sort that I experienced with Doc and he had to remind me. But this was real, it had to be real. It was real.

There she was. My Beth.

"Beth." I gasped out in a whisper, but it sounded so desperate. She grinned, her whole smile was wide and beautiful and it felt like she would put the sun to shame on how she was beaming at me. I saw her break into a run now, bolting down the steps and I just fell to my knees in pure joy and relief as she ran into my arms, almost knocking me off my feet and wrapping my arms around her. All was well with me, all of what I went through and all I was enduring, was because of this little girl in my arms and how her arms were around my neck and her curls were tickling my nose. I was weeping now, so glad that I was home with her and holding her physically instead of in my dreams and within my own head. I didn't mind that I was pathetic, crying in front of my brother and my fiancé. All that mattered was Beth.

We were reunited again.

"I've missed you, mommy." She said as she pulled away and looked at her with her own set of analyzing eyes. I grinned at her, smiling so wide that my cheeks were hurting.

"You have no idea how much I have missed you, my sweet one." I said back to her as she giggled. I saw her look over at George now, a curious look in her eye as I got up from the ground but held her hand the whole time. She squeezed my hand, instantly going over to my leg and staying there since it was a habit that she would do when she was getting shy in front of someone new. George smiled at her, I knew that smile that he would use on me, and how he was using it on her.

"Beth, I want you to meet someone," I said to her softly as she looked up at me in curiosity. I looked back at George and we both locked eyes since I felt like this was something that George was fearing to do, just scared to make a good impression on her. I walked, Beth right behind me and holding onto my jacket with her fingers, and I was right in front of George now and Aaron was next to me.

"This is George, someone who I care about every much, and who wants to meet you," I explained to him as she was hiding behind my leg, the same nature she would alway do when someone new was in the picture. George knew, though, I wanted him enough as he then crouched down and was at her eye level, making her move back behind my leg even more to only have half of her seen. I only wondered what he was going to go in order to entice her not to be afraid.

"Hello Beth," He said to her to kindly, almost in a sweet tone that made even my own heart melt. She cocked her head a bit at him and how his voiced sounded as I looked at Aaron to see what he was thinking. He grinned too, nodding at me that so far this was good.

"I got something for you, right here," He said to her as he kept his eyes on her while he reached into his pocket. Beth looked at him now in more curiosity than in anyhow and fear now, venue inching out a bit from behind my leg and I even wondered too, what he was going to give her. I had no idea what was going on and what he had planned, but it was when he pulled out what looked like to be a small music box, hidden in a wooden box that was almost as big as George's hand. I was shocked since he didn't tell me about it at all when we got off the train and into the taxi and Beth looked with more interest now as George was winding it up and then holding it out in front of him, between us. I could hear the music that was playing there, and I smiled since I knew the song:

_Come Josephine On My Flying Machine_.

Beth slowly released my leg and jacket from her hands and then she crept out from hiding behind me, I could tell she was listening to the song and then a small smile was on her lips. She knew that song, I knew she knew since her own grandfather would sing it to her on the piano, or I would sing it to her when I would put her to bed. It seemed surreal that he would get a small music box with the same song on there since I never told him about that song. Beth then moved away from me, walking over slowly before she reached out to touch it with her own fingers. As soon as she was close enough, she grabbed it tentatively with her hands there and George retracted his own, seeing Beth smile at the music box and then look over at him now with her smile back on her face.

"Thank you." Her voice was so angelic when she thanked him that it already made my heart melt.

So far, things were looking up.

* * *

"Come on, mommy! Let me show you my room!" I was pulled reluctantly up the stairs to where I knew her room was. After we reunited and walked into the house, Aaron made us some dinner early that night as I was showing George around the house and we were visiting each other in the living room. Aaron was glad to get to know George more, and they carried a pleasant conversation with each other about how the war went and what it was like for him, Aaron asked me too, but I was too enthralled with Beth who was cuddled within my lap on the couch, looking at my jacket that I stripped off and seeing the patches and medals that were there. Now, since it was after dinner and after having a glass of wine, she was urging me to see her room and how she changed it.

She opened the door and skipped inside, having me follow her and see her room again. I watched and placed the music box George gave her on the nightstand near the window with a small smile on her face as the melody was playing softly in the room. Beth was always one to collect things from outside, the bright patterns of her colored pictures on the wall and all the leaves she would find on walks and strolls in a bowl against her window that was letting the sun stream in. She had dolls popped up on her dresser and other girlish things all around the room, with her bed against the wall and near her closet and I found some new things that I haven't seen before when I was here three years ago.

"Look, mommy!" Beth pulled me by her wrist and tugged me over to the bed and she hopped onto it, having me sink onto the mattress now and see what she was grabbing. It was a stuffed teddy bear, still looking more pristine than the other toys in her room which had been a recent gift to her.

"This was from Grandpa," she explained as she handed me the bear and I grinned at her, "For my 5th birthday last year!"

"How nice of him, did you thank him like how I taught you?" I asked her, seeing her nod now.

"Yes I did," She replied, pausing and I could tell she was thinking about something now within her pretty little head and I looked at her too. She finally looked from the bear in my hands to me, making me wonder what she was thinking about.

"Is that George man downstairs nice?" She asked me.

"Does he seem nice?" I asked her back.

"I think he is, and funny too. He makes you laugh and smile a lot," She stated to me in a factual mind of tone, having me grin even bigger at her now.

"You think I should keep him?" I asked her now, almost as if I was needing her permission to have George in my life.

"I think you should," She replied back to me, making me lean over and kiss her hair. I saw she was going to say something else on her mind.

"You've been gone a long time," It pained me to hear her say that to me, yet she sounded so calm about it and I had to hand it to her as a 5-year-old going on 6. When I saw her last, she was 3 years old and still holding onto the notion that I was going to be a hero. But now, since she was older and a bit wiser, I could tell she had some doubts of me coming home.

"I was, Beth. A very long time," I replied back to her softly and I was very scared as to where she was going with this conversation.

"I'm glad you're home," She said to me, scooting over to me now and having me wrap her in my arms and tucking her head under my chin to feel normal, to feel natural and right as I was holding her and feeling her snuggle into my embrace.

"I promise, Beth, that nothing is going to take me away from you ever again, you understand me?" I vowed to her since it sounded so petty of me and almost sad since I was promising a 5-year-old this. But then again, she was my one precious thing in this world and my daughter that I would do literally anything in the world for. I only hoped she understood what I was telling her, how I was away from her for three years that seemed like a lifetime to her, for me to miss important days of her life and her nightmares when I was not there to comfort her. I had to make sure that I would never do that again t her, no matter what happens.

"Yes, mommy." She merely replied to me, having me sigh and close my eyes.

* * *

"So, I take it this George guy is gonna be sticking around for some time," Aaron said to me as we were both getting the couch set up for George to stay on tonight at the house. I even asked George if he wanted to grab a taxi and make it back home within the night since it was merely a couple of hours away, but he was still going to stay with me. So after I got Beth to sleep, Aaron and I decided to play him on the couch in the living room since it was big enough for him to crash on. I finally got my own civilian clothes back one, even though it felt more like an outer body experience since I was no used to a cotton dress in a long awhile.

"I'm afraid so," I replied back to him in a chuckle as he snickered back. George was out on the back porch, smoking and thinking to himself since he knew I wanted to talk to Aaron alone.

"Eh, I like him. A bit on the jokester side, but he's nice and he does treat you right from what i see," Aaron explained as he tossed the pillow on the couch and I unfolded the blankets for him, "Besides, from what you described to me in the letters, I thought he would be ugly."

"Bastard." I said as I swung the blanket at him to see him duck. It was good to have my brother back within my arms reach for me to chat and talk to about life. I placed the blanket back on the couch before I leaned up and stared at Aaron, seeing him work away at the couch to make it comfortable for him.

"Look, Aaron…all this time that you had with Beth and I was over there…I don't know how to thank you." I said to him simply, thinking that just saying the word 'sorry' was not going to be good enough for me in my eyes since he had to sacrifice some of his life to raising his niece and make sure she was okay. Aaron sighed and waved his hand off at me.

"It was nothing, Adaline…not that it was nothing at all, that's not what I meant. I mean I didn't mind doing it at all.." He said, looking over at me and seeing the pain there on my face on how I had to give him this burden, yet to him it wouldn't have seen like a burden. He sighed in defeat, walking over to stand in front of me and placing his hands on my shoulders.

"We both were fighting for this kid, your kid, that you know for a fact I would do anything for. You were trying to get a good life for her, don't forget that. I think you were the one who was making the worse sacrifice and you did it because you love her, right?" He asked me, the hope was in his voice and in his bright eyes as he gave me a small smile. I nodded back at him.

"All that matters now is that you're back, and you're happy with George," He said to me in his lighter tone now as he moved some of my hair from my eyes, "Which reminds me, when are you gonna tell mom and pop that you brought home more than just your sanity?"

"Don't remind me," I grumbled to him, the both of us sitting on the couch and I leaned my head on his shoulder, "I'm still trying to get that worked out. Hell, only one other person in our company knew about us being together and being engaged."

"Shit, you two were keeping the lid on tight," Aaron stated.

"It was his idea, well…both of us but he didn't want to blab about it." I reassured him.

"Still, mom and pop would want to know sometime soon. They know of him since they read the letters and all, but not that you two are gonna get married." Aaron explained, having me close my eyes defeat.

"George is going to go to his home tomorrow afternoon, back to Rhode Island. From there, we're gonna take it step by step and see what happens. I think right now we both need to get our own shit together and try to make that work before we can combine our shit." I stated, opening my eyes and seeing Aaron look down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" I asked.

"You never curse like this," He said in a smirk, having me give him a wicked grin, "Boy, that Air Force and Army changed ya good, didn't it?"

"Oh, you have no idea."


	32. Chapter 32

"Call me when you get home, will you?" I asked George as he was standing on the front porch now, his army bag in hand and the sun slowly coming up over the hills where we were. I knew he had to go talk and be with his own family, and we were mere hours away from each other, it wasn't though he was in another state and it was going to be impossible for us to be around each other on a constant rotation. But it was still hard, the both of us splitting up for the first time in awhile now and I want to make sure that we were going to make this work.

Aaron, Beth and I were sending George off on the front porch. Beth was with me as she was saying goodbye to George, since he ready had breakfast with us and she was taking a liking to him since they both were slathering syrup on their pancakes and making faces as each other when I wasn't looking at all. I found it heartwarming, hearing her giggle from something George would do or even George snoring in laughter from something Beth would do at him in return. They were connecting, which was all that I really wanted for the both of the,

"Don't go! I wanted to play with you!" Beth said next to me as she was staring up at George now as I was holding her hand and George looked down right at her. I could tell she already had him wrapped around her finger just from spending a few hours.

"I'll come back and hang out some more with you and your mother, I promise," He reassure her with his tone with her, almost like he was trying to speak so softly to her and she grinned at him with her wide eyes and wide smile that would light up a room. It was more sensational to know that it was genuine, that George did that to her.

"Come on, Beth. Let your mother say goodbye to George, okay?" Aaron said to Beth now as he took her by the hand and they both walked over to the front door. Aaron looked back over at George and smiled, "I'll phone for a taxi or you."

"Thanks, Aaron," George thanked him kindly. Beth looked back at George one more time and waved at him, George waving back and they disappeared into the house now. It left George and I alone now, looking at each other with a small second of each other standing there before he leaned over to hug me close. I was pressing my head against his, breathing in him to remember him by if only for a couple of days now. We knew we had to split off for a moment or two now, just to be with our own families and to try to pick up our own pieces and burdens. But it still felt too much for me to take all in.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" George said to me in reassurance now as we were still embracing one another and we pulled away to stare at each other. I didn't know why it was hurting this bad to let him go back to his own home. He smiled at me, yet it seemed so broken there as he was then pushing my hair away from my eyes because of the gentle breeze that came through that morning.

"I want you to spend as much time with your family as you can, George. Don't come back too soon," I tried to reason with him since it would be far too selfish for me to ask him to come running back to me after being with his family for very little time. He needed to be home for himself, to try and find himself again with his own parents and siblings since I knew he was very much a bread winner for his finally before he even enlisted for the war, "Hey even look into finding a job there again if you want to."

"You don't want me come back?" He asked me, almost in a low manner since it made me sound like I was pushing him away and not wanting him around me. I shook my head at him now as I rested my arms around his neck.

"You know that's not even close to being true, George," I said to him now in a simpler tone and a sincere manner now, "I just want to make sure you are taking care of yourself with your family."

"Don't worry about me, Adaline. I can handle my own family and what happens with them, they're a bit tame compared to me," George replied back to me as he was still keeping me close to him and I just grinned a him. I was not wanting us to have the teenager kind of relationship that was all about the kissing of each other and being in an embrace every second of the day. It seemed childish to have something like that, then again we always that some kind of innocent relationship between each other.

"Just let me know when you get home and if you're there okay," I asked him again now, seeing him nod at me and then sneak in a simple kiss against my lips and having me feel it down to my toes and to my fingers. It was so soothing for me to know that we were going to do this together. He pulled away from me, smiling at me so brightly that even the sun was seeming pale compared to him now.

"I love you," he replied to me as I could hear the taxi coming around the corner and parking in front of the house. I grinned at him too, already going to hate this, but it had to be done and it was going to work. I had to make it optimistic and open to having could happen for the both of us now.

"I love you too," I said back to him now, giving him one more kiss before I saw him move away from me and grab his bag, walking down the steps without looking back at me because we both knew that it was going to be harder and painful for the both of us. He got into the back, saying something to the driver that made him crack a grin now and I had to chuckle. That was George Luz, someone who can crack a joke with a person, whoever he met even out in a taxi cab and make friends with them without breaking a sweat. He then looked back over at me from his spot in the cab through the open window and I smiled at him as I stood there on the porch. I winked at him once, seeing him wink back at me as he then drove off in the cab now, having me watch with almost a heavy feeling in my heart while he was going down the street and around the corner again, out of sight.

The door opened behind me as I was just trying to breathe in and out from what I was feeling and thinking that the next few days were going to be hard without him, in how pathetic that sounded and how desperate it felt like I needed George next to me to have me feel satisfied in my life. It was something I had to work on myself, something that really had to be worked on for the next period of time since I had on my hands.

"You know he's going to come back around, right?" Aaron asked from behind me now, having me look back at him over my shoulder now as he too was just staring at me in a genuine concern now.

"I know," I replied back to him as I turned back to look right at him and hope that he would have some kind of understanding to how I was feeling.

"You know, I have never seen you this flustered and upset over a boy leaving you for a period of time then after your first date with Adam when he took you to the movies," Aaron said to me in almost a joking manner and I chuckled at him, walking over to swat him on the shoulder in one second. But I stopped myself from doing that since it felt like I myself had to really make sure this was going to be a mature kind of thing. He was only so many hours away and he was not going to be the type of guys that I had to worry about on a constant time frame.

"Yeah, that was a good one, right?" I asked him in a hint of a curious manner, a huge smile was on Aaron's face. I just sighed and rubbed the back of my neck, hoping that I was going to do something fun that day and get my mind off of George, mostly of him and then also of the war and how I was still trying ti get my own pieces back together and back to the way they were.

"Hey, the little one wants to know when we can go over to mom and dad's place for dinner," He said to me now, having me feel a bit hesitant there as he was mentioning my father and mother and that was going to be the next hurdle for me to get over. Not just for me to see them in general but for me to even talk to him about all that was going on with me.

"Look, I promised her that we would eat over there and have a small little reunion once you came home, the five of us now that you're home." He explained to me now as I was looking like I was about to be sick all over again. It was odd that I was feeling that, thinking about my parents like that now since it was something I should be happy about. But now, I was dreading it more than being happy about it. To talk about my time in the war, not to mention George and our engagement, that was going to make me run back to Europe and hide in the German hills.

"How long ago did you promise Beth that?" I asked him now in a worry.

"A month ago when I got your letter from Berchtesgaden," He replied back to me, rubbing my face within my hands now and rethinking where I was back then and what I was doing. I knew they were wanting to talk to me since they had to have known about me surviving the plane crash, and now they are dying to see me more and more now.

"Mom and dad are going to fry me when they see me," I said in a mutter.

"Well, better than frying you than just letting them slide over the fact that their only daughter only died a few times in the war. You know how mom and dad are," Aaron tried to explained to me as he then sat on the railing there and I watched him look out into the street with the twinkle in his eyes and I could see the professor side coming out of him, but his brotherly side was still lingering in the morning light.

"At least go and see them, take Beth with you since she wants it for the three of you," Aaron tried to reason with me now as he could see I was still trying to think about and think of why I should not even think about going over to see my own parents yet.

"Can you at least come with me?" I asked him with hope there on my tongue, "Let's face it, I can never face either of them without you there because you're my rock in these kinds of situations with them."

"I would love to since It would really not be a great family reunion with me any who, I'm the success story around here anyhow," Aaron said in a cheeky manner, having me now slug him in the shoulder now. He chuckled as he then pulled me over, holding me close as we hugged there against the railings of the house we shared. I was glad to be home, to be with my brother who was much more than a brother to me, my anchor and my rock of peace.

"I'm glad you're home, I really am." He whispered to me now with a warmth there as I hugged him back.

"I'm glad I'm back too."

* * *

"We heard about what happened," My mother said to me now as we were sitting in the living room together now, Beth was already in her playroom that they had set up for her on her visits to see them. Aaron and I took Beth over in the afternoon to have dinner with them, since they lived on the Northside of Boston in their smaller house that they've lived in all of their marriage and kept up to date with the repairs. I loved how cozy it was, even when I was little and growing up within those walls of the white walls on the outside and the oak tree in the front yard.

"We didn't know what to think about when we got the letter that you were missing in action," she went to tell me, having me are lady hate coming here tonight but I knew I had to. I was glad to see my parents, I have missed them since they were constantly on my mind. I knew I had to think them for help grin Aaron take care of Beth and make sure she was going to be okay. After we hugged and had our small blissful movement of a reunion, along with having dinner and a bottle of wine to break between the four of us, it was time for us to talk.

Or for them to talk now.

"I didn't mean to put you or dad, or even Aaron through any kind of pain or worry about me when that happened, I swear," I tried to explain to her as she was sitting across from me with my dad on her side and Aaron watching from the opening into the kitchen, resting his shoulder against the wall and his arms crossed in front of him. I knew he was standing there that for a reason: we both would have each other's back when we were going to go into a talk or an argument with our parents. I handled some with him, and vice versa. Now, it was his turn to play defense referee for this talk.

"We understood what you were going to get yourself into when it came to being a pilot, but this…" My mother paused for a moment when she was clearly thinking back to when she thought I was dead, "That letter was far too much for the both of us to handle and receive from an Air Force official,"

"It's not like I was about to go and get myself killed. I had a mission that I had to uphold and I was willing to do that for the men," I explained to them calmly, "Given the circumstances I was caught in a fight in the air that was not supposed to involve me since I was flying a supply plane, not a fighter plane."

"That still doesn't make me feel better now," My mother replied back in a murmur now as I sighed heavily and rubbed my face in frustration.

"I'm home now, alright?" I asked them both with a raise of my hands, both of them looking over to my hands now and my arms that were being exposed to the both of them, having em look too since their eyes were getting rather big in shock from what I was showing them along my skin. Scars were there, and for some reason I could not remember where they came from and who I got them. But it was enough to have my mother almost break down in tears since she thought I could have died from that crash and those scars came from there.

"Oh God…" She said in almost a miserable moan now as she held her head in her hands. I got up from my spot on the couch, already seeing that this was going to be some kind of fight between us now. This was why I was somewhat avoiding wanting to see my parents again.

"Adaline," My father finally spoke up on the conversation now as he was still looking more composed than my mother was, "We were just worried about…more than we should because…I felt the same way when I was in the war. I know how it is….more as much as you do…but I do. But I'm still your father and I was mostly worried about you not being able to come home to your daughter."

"I was fighting for her, every day I was fighting for her, dad." I explained to him simply, seeing Aaron shift a bit then in his spot against the wall and I was waiting for him to make that move and just step in.

"We never doubted that, Adaline," my dad replied back to me almost in a stern tone now as he was seeing what I was about to argue with him, "If there is one person that I know will do anything for her child, it's you. But you tend to forget that it's not just about Beth, Adaline. Your brother, your own parents were worried that one of these mornings we were going to get a letter from the Air Force, let along the army, that you were dead."

I stayed quiet then, already feeling guilt that he was right. All this time it was about Beth, but I had no real reason to think about my mother and father, let alone my brother. He was the one that reminded every once in awhile to think outside the box, think away from my child and to think of another relative that were still praying and hoping that I would come home to them. It made me feel foolish now as I stood there within the room now and I stayed quiet.

"Dad…" Aaron trailed off, trying to get our father to look over at him now as I was think rethinking of all the times now from how I was close to dying and close to losing my mind. Even being back at home I was still feeling a bit out of place and useless.

"Adaline…I'm sorry," I could hear my dad trying to bring me back to reality, back from my house where my parents and my brother was since all three of them were looking right at me now and seeing me go back into a daze. "Look at me." I looked back up at my parents, no longer seeing pain that was from my war career, but pain that they were inflicting on me now as Aaron took a hesitant step towards me now in case I was about to be mad at the both of them.

"I need to take a breather," I said to them as I then walked out of the room and over to the backyard, I heard my father getting up from the couch now as I walked past my brother and I could hear Aaron moving over to stop my parents from getting to me to stop me.

"Leave her, dad. You need to leave her." Aaron said in a warning tone to my father as I got my way out of the back door and into the backyard, tears hitting my cheeks hard and I breathed in heavily now. The moon was hanging over the backyard and having me look up at the moon, already dreading the fact that I was home and that I was just trying to be normal again. It was hard on me, tricking my head over and over again now and having me replay all the times I taught I was not worth the time or day with the men in Easy.

Something had to give.

* * *

"How did it go with your parents?" George called the next night after I got Beth to bed, Aaron was cleaning up a bit in the living room and I was just trying to talk to George and get my head straight.

"Not as I expected," I said back to him in a honest manner, hearing nothing on the other end now, having me look out of the corner of my eye and see Aaron pause with his cleaning as he could hear our conversation.

"That bad?" George asked me now, having me bit my lip and slowly sit down in the armchair that was close to me.

"Yeah," I could only let out one word to him since it was still eating away at me now on how the conversation went and what we said to one another. George sighed on his and of the line, and it made me feel like I made him a little bit mad now since he was hoping that we would have which should have been positive. I didn't want to that this kind of feeling between the two of us now.

"That's it, I'll come down in the morning to see you—" He started to talk like that to me now and I immediately wanted to stop him from doing that.

"No, don't come back here because of something that happened between my parents and I. You don't have to be here, okay?" I asked him now, hoping that he understood what I was trying to tell him at least between the lines and with how I was saying it to him. It would be worse for him to leave his family that he was already connecting to again. It was once again a reminder for me to learn how to do this on my own, to face my own demons that were, in fact, trying to turn me away from my parents.

"Okay…as you as you're okay…then okay," He replied back to me, having me sigh in relief now, "Other than talking to your parents about what happened….how did it go with them?"

"It was fine, mostly just hearing them talk about how they were worried about me when I went MIA," I explained to him now as I twirled the phone line within my fingers, "But that conversation was squashed quickly. What about you? How's your family and siblings?"

"Pretty good, my mom and dad are more than happy that I'm home and helping out. I got a job with one of the maintenance shops, doing his odd jobs here and there and getting some money in my pocket for my own place," I grinned from hearing that about George, feeling better about him being back home with his family, "My siblings are helping out too with odd jobs, but I'm missing the men ever once in awhile. I got a call from Perconte earlier this morning."

"What did he want?" I asked him now in interest since I haven't heard from the others in Easy since we left New York off the boat.

"Just checking in to see if I married you yet, which brought up another conversation since my own mother was listening in and I had to tell her all that happened between you and I. So….my ma knows about us," I felt like a frozen ice block there on the couch now, wondering how he own mother would think of me now since I have never met her, or even his father.

"Should I be worried?" I asked him carefully now, hoping that it would be better and not worse.

"Are you kidding? Not at all!" George said back in a light chuckle,"In fact, she wants to meet you in a week or two when you can come out here and see Rhode Island."

"What did you say about me?" I asked him out of the blue now, in hopes that he did say something good about me to my future mother-in-law.

"I told you how kind you were, beyond kind for a pointless man like me. I told her you were smart, you knew how to fly planes like a person knew how to breathe, bold enough to stand out from a crowd, and you were pretty damn selfless. I told her the best things anyone could ever tell you," MY heart was feeling whole all over again from what he told me. How all of his kind words and of he was telling his mother about me, hear how much faith he had in me and was willing to give for me. I would say the same for thing for him if I had the chance to, give him more earpieces bout him that would embarrass him to heaven and back. Even when we were separated and at our own homes, we were still building each other up with our thoughts and our praises to one another.

"Not to mention, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," He ended with a cheeky manner, having me giggle and sink a bit into the couch now in a bit of a bush on my own cheeks.

"You sly dog."

* * *

I dreamt I was flying again, back into the skies that were hanging over Europe now and I was just coasting through the clouds with nothing to hold me back or tear me down from it. It didn't feel like I was flying a plane in the war, more like a leisure kind go activity. There was no care or worry that was holding me back and having me worry as I was casting through the clouds and drifting through the breeze and the wind. It almost made me think that I was in heaven now, a glow was around me that made me smile.

It was short lived when someone or something crashed into me and made me start to fall.

I had no idea what was making me fall or how I had no more control over my plane now as I was fall from the sky, nose diving into the ocean below me and having me suddenly feel like I was going to my death. While I was falling, I could hear all of the past scream, cries of pain and torment, and the bullets that I knew and remembered from the past battles flooding my ears and making it hard for me to hear and for me to grind and find a way out. I was getting closer and closer to the ocean, closer to my death and the sounds in my ear were making me want to scream. I could hear men dying, men crying out for help, the men in the camp and how they wanted me to save them. Before I could ever touch the ocean and die…

I woke up in a cold sweat and a scream on my lips. It was the first of many, many nightmares that hit me straight home.


	33. Chapter 33

_Dear Adaline,_

_Helpfully this gets to you over the ocean and into your nice little house. I want to come back over to the states and see you as soon as I can, as well as Babe and Spina back in Philadelphia. Babe wrote to me and is letting me know how it is back home, along with Bill and them all. I miss Louisiana sometimes, the cool winds in the evening and the large trees that would hang in the bayou. it's a magical place, you should see it._

_Vera and I are gonna get married here in England, it's already decided. I know you're gonna be sore at me since I'm not gonna invite anyone to come out, but Vera and I didn't want to wait any longer for something else to happen and us to not take the chance. I really love her, Adaline, and I could only hope and wish that Vera and I could have the same amount of happiness that you and George have. I know you both are going to be very happy, and I do expect an invitation to the wedding soon._

_I hope things are going okay with you and your side of the world, things here are a bit rough. I don't think they ever got us ready for the kind of things we would go through after the war, all the sounds that would make me jump, all of the voices I would hear in the middle of the night that were calling out for me to mend them. Most of all, the blood…all I can see is blood. Do you see it?_

_Babe and Bill are going through the same thing, according to Babe and his recent letter to me. I don't think any of us is going to get back to normal any time soon, and since some of the others in Easy Company aren't writing back to me or aren't really communicating with the rest of us who are, it's safe to say we're all going through the same thing. Vera wants me to try and find a hobby to get my mind off of things, maybe I'll go into construction since it is good money. _

_Write back and let me know how you're doing. Babe is trying to get me to come back to the states now and even to find my own house in Louisiana, maybe near the bayou. I only hope that when I get back we can meet up together and chat. I miss your company. Say hello to your daughter for me, I want to see how big she's getting._

_Eugene "Doc" Roe_

* * *

**July 4th, 1945 **

**Providence, Rhode Island**

"Is this the park?" Beth asked me and we were walking hand in hand now, Beth's other hand was being occupied by George while we were strolling onto the park grass where we were going to set up a place to sit and watch the fireworks. Since I had my talk with my parents some months earlier, we were slowly working our way back to having a good relationship with one another. Since then, we were doing pretty fine getting back to somewhat a normal life. I got a job over near one of the bookstores do stock the shelves and handle the cash register, it was a nice small job for now, getting smaller money in my pocket as I was counting up the money I got from the army and air force. It was enough for me to grab a house with my daughter, but then again it was better for George and I since we both had enough money to settle down somewhere quiet and safe.

I got to meet his parents the last week of May, the both of them were beyond nice and grateful that I was going to take care and maybe fix their son from his childish ways. I could only tell them that I was going to try my best. George met my own parents one night for dinner, Beth was there of course and she was literally tugging him in by the sleeve and introducing him to her grandparents now. They were happy to see me happy with him, and though they were a bit reluctant because they were still worried about me, they too warmed up to George quickly now and by the end of dinner, they were accepting of him. Everything seemed to be falling into place now, all but one aspect.

Nightmares were becoming a normality.

I would get them every other night, sometimes every night. It would either be of me crashing my plane into the Bastogne forest, the plenty of times I saw death in the face and blood splatter over me, the drunk soldier who almost raped me on the side of the road, and worst of all the camp we liberated. They were so real to me and in my head as I woke wake up and scream every night, my brother would always come to calm me down and make sure I was okay. It was the worst, having me hate what I was doing to my own family and how they too were seeing me suffer. Beth would hear me scream, and sometimes she would hug me close as I sat at the kitchen table in the morning and think of the past haunting that I would get and receive from the hours of unrest and uneasiness. I didn't even know that it was normal enough for me to feel something like this.

"Yep, best park ever to watch fireworks," George commented to her now as we were walking together and Beth giggled. I was wearing my cotton dress that was a midnight blue and Beth in her white dress that she liked to wear, the only one her grandmother got her that was Beth approved. George was sporting his slacks and breezy shirtI looked over at the both of them, their bond was getting stronger and tighter every day that they would be together. Beth adored George, all of his silly voices and stories, and even him playing with her from time to time. I knew Georg adored her back, seeing her so close to his heart and making her feel just as special like she was his own daughter. I knew George helped out with Beth whenever I had an episode of a flashback or haunted memory, getting her out of the room quickly and distracting her as I was coming back to reality again. We both were suffering, the both of us having bad nights or moments out doing regular things with one another.

"I take it you've bene out here before to see the fireworks?" I asked him as he was holding Beth's hand and a blanket in his other hand now. I could see in front of us a medium man-made lake and a gazebo, white and pristine, on the side of it and a few people here and there already camped out and ready for the show. The park was made on hills, slopes that were small enough for people to walk on as George found us a place near the water that was not taken yet.

"Oh sure, lots of times. One time, we decided to bring our own poppers to the show, a bad idea on my part. Almost lit half of the trees on fire," Georg joked with me as Beth already was near the water look at the frogs that were perched on the edge and the ducks passing by. We both sank down onto the blanket, our hands finding each other in the middle and linking our fingers together without thinking twice.

"Eugene wrote to me the other day," I mentioned to him as I watched him observe and keep an eye out for Beth who was still walk along the edge of the water and peering into the depths.

"What did he say?" George asked me as he looked back at me.

"He's getting married over there, to his girlfriend Vera."

"He has a girlfriend?! Since when?"

"Since you boys were stationed in Aldbourne after the jump, he met her there and they've been together since. Eugene's kept it quiet and he didn't want to blabber about it to yawl since he knew you boys would talk," I explained to him, seeing the shocked look on his face now as I grinned at him. I knew I caught him since he would be the one to talk about it to others.

"You make it sound like I'm a gossip," He replied back to me now in a grumble, but a playful one at that and I snickered.

"Anyways, Eugene and Vera are gonna be married and they are wondering when we are getting married ourselves," I explained to him, seeing George look off in the distance again and I did too see Beth walking back over to us now with her hair flowing in the wind. We were so wrapped up in having what seemed to be a normal life, visit each other and getting jobs to get back on our feet, our families were getting back under our skin. Marriage was one more thin we had to go over and reach without having a reservation for it. It wasn't that we didn't want to anymore, I still wore that ring he gave me every day. We were just trying to fix our broken selves before we knew we were perfect for once another.

"Did you still want to do a wedding?" He asked me out of the blue, having me look over at him now as Beth was sitting over on the corner of the blanket, a bit out of earshot for her to hear us as I thought about it for a moment or two.

"Not a big one, it won't be worth having a big one at all since the both of us together don't have many friends or family to bring," I admitted to him, seeing him nod in agreement, thinking about it to himself more as Beth was humming to herself, of course humming Come Josephine In My Flying Machine.

"Maybe we can go to the courthouse, make it small and simple," George suggested to me with a shrug of his shoulders,"If not, then maybe we can go get married in the park or something if the courthouse is too simple."

"Simple, such a word that can describe the both of us," I joked back with him as the sky was getting a bit darker and darker now which was giving us the sign that the fireworks were going toe tart soon enough.

"We can at least get some of the Easy guys to come and be witnesses, and who knows, go a park or a bar later in celebration," George went on, having me smile in agreement since I knew he was trying to not make it a big wedding, or just the two of us getting married in a courthouse with no one else there to watch and give approval on.

"That sounds good enough for me, George," I replied back to him, the both of us now looking up to see the first firework going off over us now, lighting the show in a hint of orange and a burst of the firework went off. Beth scooted back a but now to nestle between the both of us, her eyes fixed on the skies now as George and I looked too. The first bang from the firework was sent right over us, shaking the ground beneath us as another blue one went off, a smaller one but with the same boom there. It made me tense up again now as I was watching the fireworks, something that I used to enjoy when I was a little girl, but now it felt different. Something didn't feel right with those fireworks, not safe at all as the odds were clearer, more haunting. I was then reminded of the time I was in the sky.

When I crashed into the earth and almost died.

"Ooh!" Beth had no idea, of course, she wouldn't now as she was looking at the sky wit big eyes and a bigger smile on her face. I was just staring, showing no sign of happiness there and having em remember the German plane that was shooting a time, those images that a plaguing me and making me sick already in my stomach. This was too much already now since it seemed like I couldn't even enjoy something like this that I was so used to as a child. The war, once again, was winning in my head now.

"I'm gonna go and take a leak," George's hand on my own was now gone, having me snap out of my haunted memories of being shot down and look over at George now seeing him slowly get up from the blanket and look deadpan in his eyes and face. I got worried then, not seeing joy there within his eyes from seeing the fireworks as he was just staring off…thinking God knows what.

"George?" I asked him now in worry as he coughed a bit, looking almost like he was about to shake in the knees now as he looked back at me and gave me a shaky look. Yep, something was off with him.

"I'll be back," he said to me now as I watched him walk off towards the gazebo without turning back. I stayed still on the blanket now, watching him carefully as more fireworks were going off over the skies and other people were watching in awe. Beth was still watching herself, snuggled into me now as I could see George slowly walking into the shelter that is the gazebo, standing towards one of the pillars there and I could see his hand was grabbing it now. It was more than wrong, something sunk into him. I had to wonder what it was that got to him so quickly. But then I had to remember, where he was when I was crashing my plane.

Bastogne, where the mortars were. Shit.

"Stay here on the blanket, Beth." I said to Beth as I moved out of the way from her and got up on my feet, Beth tearing her eyes from the sky to look at me in concern and in worry.

"Mommy?" She asked me now as another firework went off over the park, this time having a shake a bit now as I shook my head at her.

"Stay here, okay? Don't get up until I come back." I instructed her as she nodded her head finally and I walked away now, feeling a bit bad that I was leaving her behind there on the blanket. But I could tell something was very off with George now as I was walking over to him and seeing him clutch the pillar with both hands and looking like he was frizzing there, not an inch of his limb was moving around on him now as I was getting closer and closer now. When I touched my foot against the wood of the steps, I could hear him trying to breathe but it was coming out in a rapid pace, like it was drowning and not able to breathe right again. He was not letting go of the pillar since it was in a death grip and his eyes were closed as I got to the same level as he was. Another firework went off, having me see him squint from it as I reached over to touch his shoulder.

"Sweetheart, you okay—" I asked about to ask when I touched him and he instantly flinched like I spooked from him his spot. He jumped, away from me and screamed out a name for me to hear.

"MUCK!" He screamed, looking like he saw a ghost in front o him as I sighed in defeat. He was rethinking of the mortars and how Muck, as well as Penklala, was killed within the forest and poor George was reliving it all over again. Two more fireworks went off, having em see him gasp for air as I rushed over to cradle his face in my hands to have him look at me. George was in a cold sweat now, shaking my hands as his eyes were still closed and freaking out in front of me.

"George! George look at me! You're here, here in Rhode Island with Beth and I," I said to him over the fireworks that were still going off and the rest of the people in the park were watching, not caring about what happens to us, "You're not in Bastogne anymore. You're here with me and you're safe now!"

It took him awhile to finally hear what I was telling him, seeing him slowly open his eyes to me again and have me see the sadness and pain there, breaking my heart and having me sigh in defeat as he was slowly coming back to reality and no longer in the past. He was staring at me, almost like he was waiting for me to say something else to him to bring him back more and no longer be back in that wrecked place in Europe.

"Nothing's going to hurt you anymore, George Luz. You hear me? I'm right here, I'm not going to let that happen to you," I explained to him softly now as he was still breathing in and out through his nose and nodding slowly in agreement. I felt him slowly reach up to grasp my wrist to keep me there, in which this case I wasn't going to leave his side anytime soon now. Once the fireworks show ended and some of the men were getting up from their seats and blankets, I looked back over at Beth who was still sitting there on the blanket, listening to my words and having me glad that I had a child that was very much a listener and a good child of discipline.

"Come on, let's go home, the three of us," I reassured George now as I looked back over at him now. He nodded at me again, blinking rapidly now as I can see him coming back to me, having me grin at him and slowly reach to grab one of his hand in my own and our fingers were once again laced and holding each other tight. I had to give him credit for holding onto that he had left before he was going to snap on me, on himself. He thought he had o be the strong on in this relationship, but I knew him better really.

We both had to understand that sense of pride after all.

* * *

**July 6th, 1945**

"What did you want to talk to us about?" George and I were standing side by side in the archway in my house, our hand together and our eyes on my mother and father now as they were sitting on the couch, waiting to hear what I had to say to them both. Aaron and Beth were in the room too, both sitting on one of the chairs there and looking over at the both of us as well.

"George and I have something we want to ask of you both and see fi you would approve of," I said to them both, only receiving smiles on their end now as George was squeezing my hand in his now since I knew he was going to be scared. He loved my parents, and I knew they loved him too, but it was still nerve-wracking.

"I want to marry your daughter," I looked over at George with a hint of shock there in my voice now as he was staring at both of my parents with a hint of approval there in his eyes and on his lips,"I didn't want to go through with it without your blessing….and Beth's blessing too." Beth looked over at George, having me watch her as Aaron was still sitting in the chair and Beth in her lap. My mother and father were drinking in the sentence that George gave them. I could tell they were a bit heated about it since they already went through this before with me, so many years ago when I was young and carefree about my life.

"I can assume that you have good intentions about marrying her?" My father asked him now, not in a stern tone but with genuine concern as I eyed him as a warning.

"Dad," I wanted him, but he held up his hand to me.

"I don't care if you're a grown adult, you are still my daughter," He explained to me as I watched him lower his hand and looked over at George again, "You love Adaline?"

"Very much so, sir," George replied back to him without missing a beat to it now as he was giving my father a sincere look, "I love her very much and I intend on making her beyond happy."

"I know you can make her happy," my father replied back to him now and he gave him a warm smile, something I never thought would happen from my dad since he felt like he was more stone hearted the moment I came home from the war, "But you have to understand that we are still trying to make sure that she is going to be okay."

"What my husband is trying to say," My mother not spoke up now since she could tell this was booming a confusing conversation, "Is that Adaline as had to learn how to take care of herself and her daughter for a very long time, and we are selfishly hoping that she is going to be taken care of by you." I nudged George softly now as to silently tell him that I was his support in this.

"I know Adaline can take care of herself, ma'am. I've seen her do it plenty of times in the army when we were serving together. But I will take care of her and Beth, I can promise you that." He explained to him in sincerity and kindness as I saw him quickly look over at Beth now with a hint of longing to know how she was feeling about this. I was mostly just hoping that this was going to say a pleasant conversation really since it felt like we both were walking on a tightrope.

"Then I guess we have nothing else to talk about," My dad said in such a simple manner now, having the both of us look at him now in almost a fact more than a regular tone. WE both had no idea what he meant by that if he really wanted us to get married for not since he heard George's explanation and he just smiled at the both of us.

"We have a wedding to get together."

* * *

"Come here, sweet one," I pulled Beth into my lap as we were sitting in the backyard out on the porch in one of the outdoor couches, looking out in the backyard now and feeling the warm breeze of the afternoon coming through and some children laughing in the distance. After I got my father's blessing, I asked Beth to have a talk with her just the two of us to see what she was going to think of when I tell her that she was going to have a stepfather. She was vital to this decision as well, since George wanted her to say yes and like him enough to be his step-daughter and for me just have her like him in general.

"Beth," I started, seeing her look up at me now in in wonder as she was playing with one of the dolls in her hands now, "how much do you like George?"

"A lot, mommy," Beth said back to me in a shrug, "He's really funny and nice."

"I'm glad you think that," I said back to her as I started to stroke her hair now without thinking about it really, "Because George and I are thinking….of getting married. Is that okay with you?"

"I think so," Beth replied in a friendly grin now to me.

"You think so?" I asked her now in question.

"Is he going to be my daddy?" I froze my hair striking on her now, hearing that from her mouth gave me an almost chill to the bone because of how innocent she sounded, but it was such a loaded question now.

"Only if you want him to be, Beth," I reassured her now since I wanted her to understand that she had a voice in this choice, even with her being so young she still had a choice in this, "I know he can take very good care of the both of us and be a great father to you, a kind and loving father. But it's up to you and what you want." I wanted her to think about this for a moment or two since I felt like this was going to change her life too. She was going to have a father, someone whom she could look up to that was a real father figure in her life since Aaron did a great job at it while I was away. I wanted her to have a father, I craved for her to have one for the first few years of her life before I went to war.

"What do you think?" I asked her after a moment or two of pause, seeing her finally look up at me again with her big eyes that she got from Adam, a hint of a memory that I wish to have forever with her.

"I think you should marry him, mommy."

* * *

**July 28th, 1945**

I waited there right on the platform, the same one that brought me home with George on my arm but now I was waiting for another person to hop off the train, one person whom I have been missing a bit now since we parted ways in New York. I called the others to come to Boston, to come and see George and I get married tomorrow in the early evening at the Boston Courthouse. That morning was a bit hot for my taste, but I didn't mind it at all as I was seeing the train pull in and a small smile was on my face. He was the first to come in from the others, and Eugene was going to be coming in on the boat late that night.

George and I decided to give it a few weeks until we would be married, but it still kept it low key and simple enough. I was going to go to the courthouse in a nice simple white dress and my hair done nicely. George was going to wear his dress greens and already made an appointment for us at the courthouse to be married. Afterwards, we were going to go over to the bar right down the street as a party or celebration.

The train was already stopped and people were pouring out of the doors now as I stood there in my mint green dress and my smile on my face as I saw the face that I was longing to see. I knew it was hard for him since I talked to Babe and Webster on the phone, hearing that he hasn't been wanting to talk to the others in Easy and really just push the others out of arm's reach to him.

"He needs time, Adaline. I think he liked you the best out of the rest of us, including me," Webster explained on the phone when I talked to him right after I got Beth's blessing,"Trust me, he'll come for you."

"Look who it is, the happy bride herself!" I giggled as Joe Liebgott sweated me off my feet and hugged me close to him, having em hug him back now and sigh in relief that he made it here to Boston without any kind of delay or setback. He looked just the game when I said goodbye to him back in New York, almost like he got a bit of sun from being out from San Francisco as he placed me back on the ground and eyed me up and down.

"You're already glowin', look at ya." He said to me in a smirk now as I shove him off playfully now.

"I'm glad you can make it out to see us get married," I said to him thankfully now as he shrugged his shoulders and reached down to grab his army bag that I was assuming that he used that for his own clothes to pack in.

"Of course, wouldn't miss it since once I hear you two were getting married, let alone being together throughout the whole Goddamn war, I was more than happy to come out and see it," He explained as we walked together, his arm around my shoulders and my arm around his waist and we walked together over to the lobby now and grins on our faces.

"George never wanted to really make it known to all," I reminded him.

"Which is shocking to me," Joe joked back and he shook some of the air away from his eyes, "I thought Boston was supposed to be cool. It's too hot here for me, Jesus."

"And I thought you were supposed to be cocky when got get here," I joked back to him, seeing him chuckle next to me now as we were walking some more. It felt like more and more things were slowly coming together and coming into one big puzzle with all the pieces that were made and placed together.

I was liking all of it now.

* * *

**July 29th, 1945**

**Boston Courthouse**

I stood there with my white gown and George in his dress greens, and the judge was reading to us the sermon that he conducted for us in that courthouse. The other people in the room were right behind us in the seats, watching us with smiles no their faces and their own dress greens and formal attire there. Beth was next to me, holding my hand and George was holding my other hand, Joe and Eugene were towards the front with about half of Easy and our dearest friends from Easy. Even Dick Winters, Nixon and Harry Welsch with Kitty came and both of our families there when we said our I DO's to one another.

I was beyond glad that we were doing this, the both of us deciding to fight this together and keep this love strong for one another. Nothing never really seemed to drift us away from one another or even try to make us separate. I never thought that this long down the road, after surviving the war and coming home together hand in hand, that we were even going to be married with such happiness about us.

It didn't matter to me that we were in a courthouse and we kissed in front of a judge and plenty of others that wanted to see and they cheered within that room. My future was bursting with pure joy now as George and I were forever married. It was now the three of us.

The three of us against the world.


	34. Epilogue

**December 22nd, 1948**

**Providence, Rhode Island**

"Can we play out in the snow, mom? Can we?!" I had to grin at how she asked me now as she was looking out of our big window of out small little house that we've lived in for about two years now. The snow was falling heavily out in front of the house and over the street, the fireplace already lit and giving the living room a glow about it as I finished the rest of the dinner that I was prepping and getting ready for our guests that were coming later that night. It made me excited.

Excited and nervous at the same time.

"Let me finish with the turkey and then we can get ready. Let's wait until your father gets home, he'll want to play in it more than you would," I replied back to Beth now as she giggled and looked back at me with a small smile on her face. She grew to be a pretty young girl who was skinnier but still wild and reckless. Her hair was still long but now in braids down her back, curly and full and her eyes were still crystal blue that were hypnotizing and intriguing to look at.

So far, our lives were going so smooth and easy, like the leaves on the wind in the autumn evenings. I loved my life I had, nice and slow and simple now since we both we just trying to be good enough parents for Beth. George was an amazing father to her, nice and patient with her and helping her with her schoolwork and lessons that she was involved in. He was so invested in her, having father-daughter dates on Sundays after dinner and even taking over when it came to taking care of her throughout the day on his days off when I was too tired. It's been a problem as of late.

I was 8 months pregnant, due at any time.

After we broke the news to our families and relatives, George and I had to make some phone calls to some of the Easy company members that we were still writing too, all of whom were proud and happy to hear that we were finally having kids. Joe was the one who surpassed me on the most really, having me almost yell at him when he mentioned to me, "Jesus, don't get me wrong but I thought you would have been knocked up right after you too were hitched."

Needless to say, he was happy that we were going to be parents.

The rest of the men were having lives as well, getting married and becoming father themselves when we would read the letters and even sending pictures to us since we would keep them updated on Beth and our own married life. This year alone we found out Dick Winters, our good ol' major himself, got married in May of 1948 and we were invited to the wedding that he had. I was glad to see him so happy as he kissed his wife there in front of us all, kneeling down on one knee to get to the same eye level of Beth as he was finally meeting her. All of our futures were looking up.

In 1947, we had our first reunion with most of the men, George and I brought Beth along and they finally got to meet her and see her in the flesh. Once they laid eyes on her, they were all enraptured with her and how she was wrapping them all within her fingers. Some of them brought their wives, all of them cooed over her and talked about ow beautiful she was. I was just quiet about it, feeling George kiss the side of my head while the guys would take turns dancing with her over the music. He kept reminding me, "You made her, you should be proud."

And now we were going to have our own, together.

Beth was slowly getting used to having George as her father, which made me happy since I was petrified that she was not going to gravitate to him or respect him enough to be her father. But she loved him, saw him as her father and started calling him dad a bit aft our first Christmas together, having me hear it for the first time and then having me cry right by the kitchen sink as she talked to him in the living room, the conversation was light and normal and I could remember it clear as day.

"Maybe we can go over to the ice rink and go skating?" George suggested to her as they were wrapping presents together for George's parents.

"That sounds fun, daddy."

I broke down in tears after. It felt like a weight was off of me now.

"I hear him! Daddy's home!" I looked back over at Beth now, seeing him move away from the window and run over to the front door as it was opened and the blistering snow fell through the steps. I walked over from the kitchen and into the living room. There he was, my husband who grinned at Beth now and shut the door behind him and then swooped Beth up into his arms, chuckling as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Hello, little one! Have you been good to your mother?" He asked her now as he lowered her on the floor, shrugging his jacket off and flicking his hair to get the snow off of it, "You smell like apple pie, just how I like you to smell."

I had to waddle over to him now since my belly was big enough to throw me off on how I would walk normally. I didn't mind it, George walked over to me and giving me a sweet kiss on the lips and then wrapped his arms around me to avoid my swollen belly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me now as he placed one of his hands on the top of my belly to feel how hard it was getting and maybe a kick from his child.

"Feeling fine. Getting things ready for our guests tonight," I explained as he kissed me on the cheek and looked over tot he kitchen where the kitchen was set and ready for our dinner.

"Shouldn't you be resting? The doctors told you not to talk around too much anymore." He advised me, but I waved him off since we both knew that talk gin to me in such a way was futile.

"Beth had no school today and she wanted to help bake the pie and cookies. Besides, I don't want to sit anymore when I know that the more I walk around, the more our kid is going to want to come out and place my back pain out of its misery." I replied back to him, seeing him crack a grin at me now.

"Don't act like you hate being knocked up," He joked.

"I do hate it when it means I can't go to work anymore," I reminded him, seeing him nod in agreement now as Beth walked over to him and laced her fingers in his now, George immediately looking down at her now.

"Mom says we can go outside and play in the snow, can we dad?" She asked him now in interest. George looked over at me with a raised eyebrow now and I grinned at him. George knew to check with me first before he would do something with her, and I would do the same. We would be neutral on any decisions, yet I knew he would do stuff with her behind my back for good measure.

"I told her that it was up to you if you wanted to go and play, a bit before they get here?" I suggested to him with my shrug of my shoulders now and shifted a bit with my feet sine they were starting to kill me again now. George eyed me now as he could see I was getting uncomfortable and needing to at least sit down for awhile.

"Okay, I can take the snow for the bit with the squirt here," He said in a joking manner as he then whirled over to scoop her into his arms with no hesitation there, tickling her and having me hear her shriek of laughter now as George tickled her sides.

"You sit down and pick up your feet a bit, We'll play outside for a bit," George said to me now with a small smile on his lips and he started to carry Beth over to the door. I walked with them a bit now, then turning over to where the chair was and plopping myself down into it.

"Get your coats on and don't be more than an hour since it'll be dark soon," I said to them both, grabbing the fleece blanket that was on the arm of the chair and placing it over me now. I was feeling so content since I was near the window and I could watch them and the fireplace was near enough for me to be warm again.

"Yes, mom!" They both called out in a cheerful tone as George grabbed both of their coats and they bolted out of the door. Once the door closed, I wrapped the blanket a bit closer around me and rest against the chair now, watching from my spot to see both Beth and Georg get their jackets on and then start to throw snowballs at each other. I grinned, only wishing I had no strength to follow them out there and play. I was nor regretting having a child with George and carrying it until it came to the world, but it slowed me down much more than I wanted and I hated it. But there was George, picking up the slack for me and rubbing my feet and back when I was sore and cranky. I have forgotten how much of a time drain that it was and it made me so tired all the time to do the simplest things.

But there was no regret in it, not now that I had a real family.

The snow would sometimes remind me of Bastogne, now I almost froze to death in the forest are my crash within the forest, and it would send a chill down my spine whether I knew it or not. George would once again think of Muck and Penkala, how he saw them die in front of him and he couldn't stop it. I felt bad for him, but he knew how to put on a brave face for Beth whenever she was in the room and he had a memory. I grinned from seeing him shove a ball of snow into her face, then seeing her shove it down his jack and he groaned playfully at her. I felt like I could fall asleep there on the chair, the warmth of the blanket and fireplace there to lure me to sleep now, and the good thoughts of the life I was living was playing in my dream to let me sleep then and there. Nothing was harming me, nothing has harmed me in about 3 years now and it was making me glad of that.

I moved my head over to the bookshelf that was next to me against the wall, seeing some of the memorabilia that George and I collected over the war. We had our wedding picture there, some of the medals we both got along with our patches in cases that could be seen from afar. Other things we had over to the time we were in Europe, books that we snagged and small trinkets that we looted in Berchtesgaden. But the one man thing as we would always look through from time to time, as the other things would start to collect dust, was the photo album that George gave me. I would look through the letters, the pictures of Beth at I would get in the mail. But now we had other photo albums to add now since we were taking pictures of our family left and right, throughout birthdays and holidays that we shared.

I wasn't realizing that the door opened and people were talking in, taking off their jackets and then someone walking over to me now, I was still deep within my thoughts of the past and the war until I felt someone place a hand on my own now. It made me look back to the front, seeing Joe Liebogtt right in front of me and crouching down in front of me now with a warm smile on his face. I grinned back at him, trying to hold back a yawn now as I saw my friend in my living room holding my hand in his.

"Well hey there," I said to him in a soft manner, seeing George behind him shaking hands with Eugen Roe and kissing Vera Roe on the cheek before he walked over to me now, but my eyes were more focused on Joe in front of me as he grinned back.

"Heya Adaline, good to see you." he said to me, having me reach up to cup his face with me spare hand and see him lean into it a bit. I saw the aftermath of the war and its nightmares and tear on his face. I was glad to see him again, even if it meant to have a simple dinner with him and Eugene with his wife.

"Good to see you too, Joe."

* * *

"So, no Christmas with your parents?" George asked Joe now as we were seated around the table and eating the dinner then, George sitting next to myself and with Beth on my other side near who was on one end, Eugene and Vera on the other side of the table and we were having a pleasant dinner there.

"Eh, I needed a break from them this year. They've been down my throat for a few weeks now and I need a breather from them," Joe explained to him now as he was eating some of the chicken there on the plate. I gave George a hesitant look now sine he too looked a bit off now, we both knew how Joe was still trying to get back to the beginning now and back to reality that was once his life. Joe had it was worst compared to the others in Easy, and yet he was going to be far too stubborn to try and fix it himself. We just had to be there for him when he needed us.

"If you need a place to visit for Christmas, our house is always open," George offered to him now, Beth looked over at him and grinning as she chewed on her chicken.

"You should stay, Uncle Joe. We can go ice skating!" She suggested to him, Joe breaking out into a grin then and having me watch the two of them interact with one another for a brief moment.

"Oh really, you getting better with you spins, squirt?" He asked her, seeing her stick her tongue out and he chuckled as I looked over at both Eugene and Vera.

"How about you two? How's life back in Louisiana?" I asked them both now since the last time we saw them was back at the reunion one year ago. Since then, we would communicate with letters and phones every once in awhile.

"Still hotter than you can believe, but we're getting by. Eugene found a job in a contraction company a little bit within the summer and they've asked him to stay on," Vera explained to me with her beautiful English accent, lacing her fingers with Eugene's hand on top of the table now as I grant Eugene and I saw him blush a bit there from he utter compliment from his wife.

"Construction, eh? You should work on our house then, Lord knows we need it." George commented to him in a snort.

"Oh please, George." I tried to reason with him.

"I'm not that good at it," Eugene tried to but in since I knew he was not one to want to be in the limelight a whole lot when it came to conversation. Vera eyed him, sneaking a kiss on his cheek.

"I think you are," She replied back to him and he grinned, "The hours are long and stressful for him, but he's making good money."

"I bet it beats me riding around in cabs all day and taking tips," Joe added to the conversation, "I'm just glad I'm making money on cuttin' hair on the weekends, Peggy would be livid if I just stuck with cab driving."

"How is Peggy, by the way?" I asked him now as I saw him drink a bit of his wine, "You two still together?"

"Yeah we are, I really like her a lot, Adaline. I think you would like her too when you guys come out west to California, I'll introduce you to her." He explained with a huge grin on his face.

"Eh, I heard California's not that great," George joked with him, the table snickered from his banter before I felt something off within my stomach. I paused, placing my hand on my stomach and waited to think what that feeling was and see if I knew what it meant. It was an off feeling, almost like a jolt and a trigger that was warning me something.

"You've got to be kiddin' me, Rhode Island compared to California is slow paced, not my kind of scene man," Joe replied back to George now, none of them seeing me squint a bit now as I thought it was a simple tremor of my stomach, a normal thing for me to feel since I was so close to my due date, maybe it was another scare that I shouldn't be worried about.

"I don't even know what kind of scene you are, to be honest, Liebgott," George replied back to him, having me feel it again now and it was a bit more violent. I didn't want to believe what I thought it was, but I knew it was true as I then slowly placed my hands on the table and then got up from he table, the conversation died down now as Beth looked up and over at me. It was another dull pain in the stomach, and this time I had to squint now.

"Mom?" She asked me, grabbing my hand that was on the table. I had to wave her off, not wanting this dinner conversation to be dull because of me and just a little bit of pain.

"It's nothing," I said to her now, now George was about to get up from the dinner table.

"Adaline, what's wrong?" He asked me now as his face was looking more concerned about me now as I looked over at him and tried to not make this worse.

"It's okay, George. I just need to walk around a bit," I explained to him, Eugene and Joe looking at me too like they were not convinced as to what I was telling them. I smiled, trying to hide ti as I moved away from the table now and started to walk over to the living room in hopes of walking around would make me feel better. It would be something that would be playing in my head, another trick that was making me afraid of having a child so close to Christmas and so soon now. I was about to get into the living room when I felt it one more time, this time I had no choice but to stop and clutch the wall now in pain.

It was happening, I was having a contraction.

"Shit," All of the people at the dinner table shot up now and walked over to me in a brisk pace as I was breathing it out through my nose. It was a pain I haven't felt in a long time, and George walked over quickly to stand in front of me and frame my face in his hands gently with fear in his hands.

"Contractions?" he asked me, having me nod my head without saying anything because I felt like it would hurt even more for me to talk and feel another shock of pain now.

"I'll get the car ready," Vera said calmly from behind me as Eugene took my hand in his to check my pulse, almost reminding me on how he would take care of us as our medic.

"Beth, let's get your jacket and get ready, your kid brother or sister is comin'." Joe said to Beth in an urgent tone. Beth followed Joe like an obedient puppy now as they made their way to the front door.

"Adaline, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, okay?" Eugene asked me calmly now, once again feeling soothed from his accent that was now a gift from god from how he was talking to me. I looked over at him now as he was checking his watch on his other hand.

"You know how to deliver a child?" I asked him, grunting out another moan from another contraction that came through me.

"Nope but my grandmother's done it once or twice. You need to breathe, that's the most important thing right now," He replied to me nonchalantly now as I looked back at George again now, closing my eyes for a second to get my breathing back to normal.

"Come on, take it nice and slow and we can get to the hospital," Georg urged me, grabbing my hand in a vice grip and then the both of us slowly walking over to the door now. Joe was getting Beth's jacket on her and he got the front door open, having me hear the cold snowy air outside and Vera starting the car in the driveway.

"I don't remember it hurting this much," I said to him, almost like I was trying ti lighten the conversation and staying calm about it. George still looked a bit panicked about it, almost like he was green in the face and about it.

"I thought you were going to keel over," George said in a gasp now as we were still walking over to the front door and Eugene moved away from me to grab his own jacket from the hanger.

"I've felt worse when I was with Beth, with her I thought my spine was going to snap off.." I trailed off, seeing that my joking with him was not helping since he was giving me a death glare.

"That's not making me feel better about this," he said in a low manner now, almost like he was about to be on the verge of tears. I had to sigh.

"George, I've been through this before, it's okay," I tried to reassure him, but the look of fear was not off his face as his other hand was wrapped around my waist to keep me leaning against him now.

"Well, I haven't, Adaline. This is a first for me and I'm….I'm scared," He said to me in almost a petrified manner now as I made him pause there in front of the door. I had to wait and tell him something before we could even go into the car and bring our child into the world. I saw Beth and Joe already in the car with Vera, whom was in the driver's seat and was waiting for us. I squeezed George's hand in mine, smiling at him softly and no longer thinking about the pain but how George was scared of this.

"Look at me," I said to him calmly now, seeing him watch me as I grinned, "Don't be scared. We're bringing our baby to the world, nothing's going to happen," I reassured him as I leaned over to kiss him with a bold kiss that I wanted him to fell down to his toes and know that this was natural and good. He held it there, having me feel him tremble against my lips as I pulled away from him.

"We can do this. If we can get through a goddamn war together we can surely do this, okay?" I asked him softly now as he finally smiled at me, I had to make him see that ew can go through another hurdle like this, another set of difficulties that were coming our way, we could do this. We held onto each other for so long though the war, we can surely handle our child coming.

"Okay."

* * *

"Man, look at that hair! He looks like you," I grinned from ear to ear, still trying to breathe after the labor and then now holding my newborn son in my arms, seeing him already asleep and wrapped in his blanket, nuzzling against my chest now as I was resting in my hospital bed and just drinking in the fact that I was holding my son.

Steven Brennan Luz.

"He's got your nose," Eugene commented to me as he was looking at him now, Vera next to him and her head on his shoulder with a grin on her face and their hands folded together between them. Beth was on my other side, looking at her new stepbrother and a big grin on her face now as she was watching him what seemed to be a hint of pride. I looked over at her now, watching her slowly reach over to stroke his hair with her finger.

"Looks like you're no longer my little one," I commented to her, seeing her look from Steven to me now and smile at me, "I think you'll be a great big sister."

"I'll be the best," she proclaimed as I heard the door open again, having me look over to see George and Joe walk back into the room now with smiles on their faces.

"I called up some of the guys: Babe, Guarnere, Toye, Bull and Johnny. They passed on the message to the rest of Easy, and they give their best," Joe explained to me as he walked over to where Eugene and Vera where, having me grin at him as he pointed to Steven now who was yawning against my chest.

"Look at that! He's got your smile, Luz!" I looked too, seeing the big cheeky grin that made me think back to when I met George Luz for the first time, before either us even had the glimpse of falling in love with each other. I saw that same smile then, and the same feeling of pure joy and thrill shot back through me, love in such a rare form that I knew I would do anything for this child. He was my everything, just like Beth, just like his father George Luz.

"The same smile that made me fall in love with you," I said out loud to him now, looking at George whom was smiling so big now at his son and having me feel like I could cry. I still loved him, to the moon and back, with our growing family and our growing faith to depend on and love each other more than ever. He leaned over to kiss me on my sweaty head and I felt him whisper into my skin.

"I love you," he said to me in a desperate but kind tone how as I leaned up and kissed him square on the mouth. I smiled through the kiss then, my heart was bursting at the seams though I was tired from the labor and already trying to plan out the rest of my life in front of me. But it didn't matter. I had my family and my life again.

And it was because of George Luz.


End file.
